Angel vs Devil
by ACookieZ
Summary: After much drama and action, our beloved Rosario Vampire characters decided to come back to Yokai Academy for their senior year. Ame Kanmuri, a human girl of 17, arrives at Yokai Academy... with special powers of her own: Angel vs. Demon powers.
1. Chapter 1: Angel

**Angel vs. Demon**

Chapter 1 - Angel

_~My parents can afford no money to send me to a proper private high school… I am stuck here, until I find a way out… to Yokai Academy~_

"Ame!" My dad called from down the stairs. "Ame? Come down right now…!"

Startled, I quickly logged off and shut down the computer. Yes, I am ashamed to admit it… I still share a computer with my parents. It's no big deal, right…? My parents know it, and they mostly approve of whatever I do.

I'm the oldest in my family, so of course I have to put on a responsible, cool, big-sister type of cover. You can even call it a façade, if you wish.

To my parents and my siblings, I am the studious, perfect sister who appears tedious of everything she does. Alone, I can give in to my guilty pleasures and nibble on sweets, spend time with my cat, and daydream.

"Ame, this is urgent. Will you hurry up?" My dad was starting to sound impatient.

I hurried down the stairs, and found my dad standing at the bottom of it with a piece of paper in hand.

"What is it?" I asked. I wanted to hurry up and get it over with. When parents say they have something urgent to tell you with a piece of paper in their hands, it's never a good thing.

My dad immediately broke into a wide grin. "We've decided on your new school, Ame! Isn't that great?"

"What?" My eyes widened in genuine surprise. My parents had been looking for a good high school for me to go to in my senior year since forever, but almost all of them were too expensive.

"Some guy dropped this while he was walking by our house… I think this is meant to be." My dad waved the paper in the air, grinning. "This is the flyer to your boarding school!"

"Whoa, Dad… Aren't boarding schools extremely expensive?"

"No, for this one, the fee isn't _that_ bad. Plus, the campus is huge! You can get lost in it! I think you can also get in with a scholarship, too… In that case, the entrance fee is free. You're smart, Ame; I'm sure you'll make it."

I rolled my eyes. "Are you going to drive me there, Dad? Where's this school?"

"Ah, this school is actually quite mysterious… there was no exact address written anywhere. All I know is that it starts in April, and the school bus will pick you up at the bus stop. You'll need to be there a week early, at least, to make preparations! Why, there will be the need to take a tour of the school, too, and…"

I had stopped listening to him at this point. My dad can get carried off like this, and when he does, it's best to leave him be. Encouraging him by asking questions, interrupting him, or any other form of disruption will only prolong the rant.

"You're independent now, Ame… And you can do everything for yourself now, can't you? You'll go there on the bus by yourself, fill in all the necessary forms, and purchase the uniforms at the school. You're seventeen! Although this is your final high school year, you must try hard. Make me proud, alright?"

"Yes, alright."

"Here, take the flyer upstairs and look at it. There's information you'll need on it."

My dad handed me the flyer, and I took it in both of my hands. "Yokai Academy Enrolment Form", it says.

Running upstairs, I slammed my door shut and sank into my bed, with the paper still in my hands.

_I'm actually going to a boarding school!_ I thought. _All those other schools – private, public, or whatever else – won't compare to this, I'm sure._

My mind was buzzing, and I was so excited. This was going to be a whole new experience! I've always wanted to be independent from my parents and family, however much I love them. This was going to be "the chance" for me; I can completely be myself, no restraints included. In a school with hundreds and thousands of other students, I can find myself a place where I belong and fit in, definitely.

A whoosh of the wind stopped my mental jubilee, and cold air blasted into my room.

You must know that in my room was different from they rest of my siblings', or even my parents'. A balcony was attached to my room, divided by a glass screen door. Curtain-covered windows were placed on the adjoining wall next to the balcony, and all my furniture – including my piano (yes, I am musical) – were placed touching the walls in some way.

Light beamed in through my window as well, even though it was late in the afternoon. It was almost blinding, bright enough for me to cover my eyes. Snow-white feathers drifted down from above, and it felt soft as it wafted against my face.

Any other normal, functional human being in this situation might say, "Where did all these feathers come from?" But all I could utter then was, "How did my balcony door open by itself?"

A figure was approaching me, floating down from above. She looked human, but she had wings attached onto her back. Brown hair flowed in soft curls down her waist, and she looked… normal. Except for the obvious wings and glowing ring floating above her head.

_Duh,_ I thought. _An angel! I must have died._

"Don't be frightened, dear; you're not dead yet. I came to help you! You need to be safe at Yokai Academy."

"Safe?" I echoed. _Then that means, what, it'll be dangerous at that boarding school?_

"Yes, it will be extremely dangerous," the angel answered. I flinched as she spoke. She almost sounded like… like she could read my mind.

"Of course I can, Ame. I'm an angel, after all. I even know your name, your birthday, your birthmark in that certain area…"

"Um…"

"No, what I meant to say was, unfortunately for you, dear fragile human, this Yokai Academy is a school for monsters."

"Huh?"

"A school for monsters… The supernatural, yokai, spiritualists, et cetera…"

I was silent. I understood what she meant by "monsters", of course. What I couldn't understand was the whole idea of it.

Monsters? Don't even get me started on that subject. I've loved them since I was still an embryo (if that's possible), but living life made me realize they were all unreal… only existing in books and movies. In real life, it wasn't the norm to see angels floating in your room and talking to you about a school full of monsters.

Now, any normal person would question this and go, "What the hell? Am I drugged? Monsters don't exist!" I, however, didn't respond normally…

"I get it," I told her. "But is this all true?"

"Angels don't lie," the angel replied. "Especially an Advanced Angel like me. Plus, you are destined to be there, Ame, it's true. I'm sure you have many questions for me… I'll explain the basic information to you now."

Although I didn't know this strange woman and didn't have the slightest idea of what she was going on about, I settled down and listened.

"I'm Maria," she began. "A human angel."

I was about to ask her what a "human" angel was (since I doubted that angels could be classified as "humans"), but she beat me to it.

"A human angel is an angel that was once human," she explained. "It's different for monsters. When they die, their spirit won't become like ours do. Their soul is… stronger, I guess you could say, and they already possess powers and supernatural abilities. When they die, they won't gain or lose anything. Besides, it's really hard for them to die in the first place…"

"Can they be reborn?" I asked. It's not every day when you get an angel to answer questions on the subject "monsters" for you… I've got to grab every chance I get. "Or reincarnated?"

"No, they can't be reborn. If monsters could be reborn, then our world would be full of monsters with the same souls as they had in their past lives. Their souls would just keep finding new bodies to be reborn in, and it would be an endless cycle of the same living spirits." Maria shook her head, as if troubled by the thought.

"They could, however, be brought back to life." Maria hovered near my piano, speaking while she inspected it. "These situations have happened before. Lesser monsters reanimated, reshaped, recreated, reincarnated or whatever by other monsters of a stronger power and higher class."

"That makes sense…"

"The only way to survive in the monster world is to become the opposite of most of them… to be virtuous and use your powers for good. There are many monsters helping Yokai Academy's headmaster in his plan to create peace between humans and monsters, and they all use their powers for good."

I nodded. Good monsters are good, if I'm going to have to mingle in with them. I was expecting Maria to teach me self-defence or something, since I'll be throwing myself to the sharks and spending my senior year at Yokai.

"You know, Ame, humans who enter this academy will never be the same. That's why they don't allow your kind in there. Well, other reasons might be the devouring of humans, but that's besides the point…" Maria cleared her throat and continued, seeing I was getting nervous. "There are too many monsters there, and the danger is too great. Sooner or later, the effect will get to you, and Yokai Academy's demonic aura will overpower you and change you inside out. It's not a safe place to be…"

I was starting to rethink this whole thing. Boarding school was worth this… Danger? Demonic auras? Overpowering humans and devouring them? No, not even satisfying my curiosity for monsters was worth that risk. I desperately wanted to confirm everything that Maria told me, but I compare my safe (though tedious and restricted) life to a life of demons, monsters, and evil things and, surprise-surprise, I reconsider.

"Don't fret, dear… I have a gift for you, to ward off all evil and protect you from monsters at Yokai. It's something that will repel the dark energy." Maria handed me a gift bag, with bright pink tissue paper sticking out from the top of it.

This definitely looked suspicious. I didn't even know if I was awake or not, or whether or not to trust this woman. I wanted to believe what she was saying, sure, but now she was giving me an object. A very suspicious-looking object.

Should I open it or not? Should I even accept it? Who knows what might happen if I do… A bomb might spontaneously combust as soon as I open up the wrapper, or there might be cobras and deadly vipers inside the package…

I glanced at Maria.

"I hand-wrapped it myself," she said, smiling encouragingly. "It's just a pair of earrings and a bracelet… Go ahead and open it."

I decided to trust her. Opening up the wrapper, I jiggled the accessories into the palm of my hand. I couldn't help it; I kind of squealed at how cute it was.

Maria looked pleased. "You like it?"

"Yes, of course I do! Thank you."

Looking down at the accessories, I wondered how Maria got it. It looked like hand-made ornaments… I'm sure they were one-of-a-kind. The pair of earrings were both baby-blue-coloured O's, in an oval shape. They each had a mini golden halo above them, completed with fluffy, mini pure-white angel wings on either side of the ovals. The bracelet was made out of beaded pearls, and had a white dove charm dangling down on one end of it.

"They're beautiful," I exclaimed softly, just staring down at them.

"Don't just look at them; try them on. Oh, but be sure to put the bracelet on your right wrist though… you know it's traditional to put it on the "holy" good side."

"What?" I asked, confused. There was a good side to my body?

"The right side is the good, virtuous, "holy" side of a person… and the left side is the darker, evil, more cynical side, you know. Each person has a good and bad side to them, and so do objects. Putting that object on your good side will enhance the effect."

"What effect?" I asked, intrigued.

Maria was silent for a while.

"I can't tell you," she finally answered. "There are many questions you have for me, I'm sure, but I cannot answer them all. I must keep inside information confidential, you see. And as for your gift, you will have to figure it out yourself. I cannot help you there."

Maria said "gift" like she was talking about a power… like I was gifted. This was starting to freak me out.

"Well, it was a pleasure meeting you, child. I wish you the very best, and you must make sure to take care at Yokai Academy…"

"What? Wait, you're leaving now?"

"Why, yes… I have other appointments to make, you see. I'm afraid my time's up. You will do fine at Yokai, I'm sure."

I was in a state of shock, as if I'd just accepted the fact that she was real, and monsters were real, and that I was going to Yokai Academy. She couldn't leave… Who would explain the details to me? There were so many questions I needed to ask… If monsters, demons, angels, and whatever else there are real, then that would change a lot of things.

How come humans didn't know about this? I didn't want the wrong people to find out, of course, but others _had_ to know. How could monsters – dragons, demons, spirits, mermaids and other mythical creatures – stay hidden all these centuries? That had to be impossible!

"Farewell, child. Be careful, and don't get into any accidents… Just remember, don't get involved with evil and don't trust demons!"

Maria's angel wings wrapped around herself, and she started to fade. Sparks and feathers whirled around her like a mini-tornado, and with that, she disappeared. The only thing left of her was a few white angel feathers.

_There she goes,_ I thought. _What do I do now…?_

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong>

Hello, dear readers~!

I was greatly inspired by Akihisa Ikeda's "Rosario + Vampire" series, and this was the result of my obsession.

If you're already reading this, then please don't quit on me now. This chapter does not summarize the entire story! To be honest, I don't even count the first two chapters as Chapter 1 and Chapter 2… I think of them as Prologues. This is not what the actually story is about, mind! The interesting part comes when the original characters of the Rosario Vampire cast show up… and then, of course, a ton of things happen afterwards. Things start to pick up around the end of Chapter 4 and the beginning Chapter 5, in my opinion. That's when I, myself, actually start enjoying my own story xD. The first few chapters are not my personal favorites :/

Now, for a few facts…

Ame Kanmuri: A girl of 17 that transfers to Yokai Academy. Her first name "Ame" means "rain".

I wanted this to be her name because rain falls down from the sky just like fallen angels. Ok, that sounds stupid, I know, but at least it has something to do with my overall topic. "Ame" also means a type of candy (in Japanese), and I like candies, so that name's fine by me~

I'm not exactly sure what happens to our original Rosario + Vampire characters, since Rosario + Vampire Season II isn't finished yet… so my story just takes place in this period of time (when the characters are starting their senior year). If the series finishes, then I guess this story will just stay the way it is.

I also want to add that the whole idea of this story might not be correct based on the fundamentals (or on Akihisa Ikeda's points of view), but I tried my best to make sense of it. Also, since this story includes angels, demons, and supernatural powers, nothing is very fixed and set-in-stone. I just try to illustrate the obvious, so everyone can understand it~

Well, my rant has come to an end. Thank you for reading up to here, and be sure… there will be plenty (emphasize on the "plenty") of more chapters to come after this! So if you liked Rosario + Vampire Angel vs. Demon Chapter 1 so far, stick around and Chapter 2 will be up soon.

P.S.

If there are any spelling mistakes, typos, or any other form of incorrect grammar, please forgive me and try to make the best of it. I read and reread and edited and re-edited this, but of course I'm not perfect.

Oh, and in case you haven't noticed (or figured it out) yet, this is just a WARNING: this story includes OCs. There are fictional characters (created by moi) that do not belong in the Rosario Vampire cast. If you don't like these kind of stories, you might not enjoy mine :(

Best wishes and happy reading~!

— ACookieZ


	2. Chapter 2: Demon

**Angel vs. Demon**

Chapter 2 – Demon

_There she goes,_ I thought. _What do I do now…?_

Before I could even answer myself, the floor of my room shook; it was like a mini-hurricane right here in my room! The ground trembled, and I had to steady myself using the back of my chair.

_Just what the hell is going on?_

Suddenly, right in front of my piano, the ground split open. How that was possible I did not know; I was on the second floor. Well, should I be surprised, just after seeing an angel appear and disappear right before my eyes?

My wooden floorboards cracked, and bits of wood splinters flew everywhere. Something dark was rising from beneath my second-story floor, I knew it. I could _feel_ it; uncomfortable shivers shot down my spine, and I wanted to hide somewhere. Preferably under my bed.

Fingers poked out form the cracks of my floorboards, followed by a hand. Long black nails protruded form the tips of the figure's fingers, but they did not look very pretty. Alarmed, I backed away slowly and felt for the doorknob behind me, while keeping my eyes on the hands – fast becoming arms – all the while.

"Don't go yet…" a voice hissed. The door's lock suddenly turned, and no matter how much I jiggled it, it wouldn't budge. I made a terrified little squeaking noise.

Finally, the figure emerged. A bony, evil-looking figure. She had shoulder-length, sleek black hair. The ends were wavy, and she had jagged-edged bangs. Black horns protruded from her head, and a black triangle-tipped tail whipped back and forth. She stood directly in front of me silently, smirking, studying me.

"What, scared of me, are you?" she asked.

Was she serious? How could I _not_ be scared? Her eyes were a glowing red, and she created a vivid contrast between the angel that just disappeared and herself. First of all, the angel had pretty blue eyes, and didn't dress like a slut… Maria only wore a white summer dress that was styled slightly like a robe. The woman standing before me, however, had on a tight red mini-skirt, stilettos, and a corset-looking top that showed off every curve in her body she possibly possessed.

"I have to admit, though… you are kind of brave." The strange woman began to circle around me, her heels clicking on my wooden floor. "Most humans would be running away screaming by now. That is, if they could get away from me"

Well, if I could, I would. I was just stunned into silence, shocked into paralysis. Maria's presence was calming and trusting; this evil-looking woman just set me at the very edge of my nerves. I felt like running away and being anywhere but here, but this strange creature's presence felt like poison. The longer I stayed, the more I was consuming, and the less control I had of my own body.

I'd never met anything like this before, and I was fascinated. More so than I had with Maria, I was afraid to admit.

"Hmm, what do we have here?" The woman stopped in front of me and glared at my wrist. "Ugh, holy accessories? That damned angel arrived one step before me, huh…?" She plucked at the bracelet on my wrist, her nails digging into my skin.

"S-stop it!" I cried, yanking my hand back. "What do you want?"

"Me?" she asked. "What do _I_ want…? Well, I want a lot of things…. But I came here today to give you a _present_, sweetie. My Lord himself sent me here. He wanted me to help you and give you what you wish for… what you _need_. And I've got it."

"I don't need anything," I replied. I wanted her to quickly leave, and go back to wherever she came from.

"Oh yes, you do. Don't be an ungrateful little brat. It's not whether you want it or not… it's whether or not I – Lucy – will force you to take it. You don't have a say, dear."

I gritted my teeth. I hated it when people treated me – or anyone else, for that matter – like an idiot, making decisions for me and leaving me no choice of my own.

She sat down at my piano stool, making herself comfortable.

"I can hypnotize others, you see," she said, crossing her legs and studying her nails. "I could have easily done that to you, but my Master wouldn't want you to go through that and turn into my dummy. He thinks you might be of some use to him, you know?"

I remembered what Maria told me. _Don't get involved with evil and don't trust demons!_ Was this woman a demon? She sure looked like it. And she did look evil.

_Ugh, what do I do?_ I cried in my mind. _How do I "not get involved" with evil when evil appears right here in front of me in my room?_

"I'm actually a very special servant to my Master…" Lucy continued, a pleased, satisfied look on her face. "He only gives special privileges to those that serve him faithfully, you know. That's why I get to have my horns, my tail, and I even get to use powers. He's usually a very harsh and merciless person… always revengeful."

I didn't know why I needed to know this, but I didn't dare interrupt her. Who knows? She might blow me up or "hypnotize" me like she said she would. Besides, knowing a little bit of information before I died might be a good thing.

"My Lord… he thinks we need an ally with the powers of an angel; that's why I didn't kill you yet. My Master needs you, so I have to bring you back. The Three Hell Kings made my Lord this way… That's why he wants revenge. Yokai Academy, was it? Yeah, that stupid school that the Three Hell Kings created together… that's the first place we're gonna annihilate. You'll join us, you hear? We'll need someone with the opposite power for our use."

"What if I don't want to join you?" I asked. Well, that was obvious, wasn't it? Why would I trust this woman?

Lucy twitched, as if she was annoyed, and then sighed. "Huh, I told you before… you don't have a choice in this. I don't want to use force, but I will if I have to. You'll either accept my offering, and live…" She made a small glowing ball of fire come alive in her palms, and then crushed it with her bare hands. Not a single sign of any burns. "… or let me tamper with your brain, and die. Not a hard choice, is it now?"

I gulped. This wasn't normal. I should be phoning the police, or calling for help from downstairs. But I had this strange feeling that I should handle this on my own… Involving others will only cause this to become a bigger matter. What if the authority figures decided I was mentally disturbed and marched me straight to the asylum for crazy people?

"You're taking too long to decide." Lucy tsk-tsked, glaring at me. "Are you retarded? No, forget it. Take this, and speed it up." Lucy dropped a pair of earrings and a bracelet into my hands… almost the same as the ones I was wearing.

The pair of earrings this time was a flat red circle, also in an oval shape. Tiny black horns rested on the top of the oval, and mini black bat-like wings protruded form the sides of the oval. A black triangle-tipped tail dangled down from the bottom of the oval, like Lucy's tail. The bracelet was made out of black pearls, with a black bat charm on it.

I almost laughed out loud at this. These accessories were almost like the exact opposite of what I had on right now!

"What's the matter, little girl…?" Lucy peered at me from behind. "Are you having a mental conflict? The answer is so obvious! Take the jewelry and everything will be solved, darling! Here's your chance…! These accessories will make you powerful… You'll become the strongest out of all the monsters at Yokai Academy."

She leaned in and whispered in my ear. "Don't you want that? Don't you want to protect yourself…? You know that you want it. Seize this chance and use it! My Lord is ultimately more powerful than that stupid angel that was just here, honey…"

I squeezed my eyes shut. Listening to any more of her talking will just drive me crazy. I want to slap her or something (or, preferably, run away and escape), but I can't. The feeling was infuriating!

I've got to find a way to distract her, even for a little bit. I can't let her do this to me!

"I don't believe you," I blurted out. "All this 'power' and 'Lord' crap? How do I know you're not lying?"

Lucy looked genuinely shocked. Her heavy mascara-and-eyeliner-covered eyes widened, and her mouth twisted unpleasantly. "You don't believe me? My Master is real, how dare you question that! He is powerful… charming… and oh, so handsome." Her eyes unfocused and she actually had a dreamy look on her face. I haven't met her for very long, true, but I sure didn't think that she was capable of that look.

_Ah,_ _I see,_ I thought. _She loves this "Master" guy…! This could get quite troublesome. If she truly loved him, she would have no problem bringing me back and having me hypnotized…_

"So, uh, your Master wants me to come back with you? Why? What does he want to me for, exactly? I –"

Right at that second, Lucy's eyes snapped back into focus. "You, how dare you try to stall? No, you won't delay my mission. This is taking way too long!" She grabbed my arm and yanked it towards her. My shoulder protested as it felt like it was being wrenched out from its sockets, but I could not complain. Complaining would mean she would just hypnotize me all the faster.

"Ame…" Lucy hissed my name, making it sound like a curse. "You… you are going to obey me. Look into my eyes…"

Feeling like an idiot, I did. I couldn't help it! I felt like she was controlling me (which she was, as I later realized), and I couldn't help but obey. Looking into her eyes, though, was one matter… Trying to look away was another.

I physically _couldn't_ look away. Her red eyes didn't look phony at all… not like people who wear red contact lenses, or even albinos. They were a rich, deep color… like fire. I felt like I was being burned alive, while she stared into my eyes. Like an animal trapped in the headlights of a car.

"Take off your angel charm earrings," she commanded.

Slowly, without me meaning to, my left hand rose up to my ear and began to fiddle with the earring Maria gave me.

_No!_ I wanted to tell myself. _You're not a freakin' puppet; stop doing this! Put your hand down! No, better yet, bring it straight across Lucy's face!_

My body wouldn't listen to me. I screamed so loud in my head, I thought my brain would burst. I had a headache… I wanted this to end, so badly. Yet it seemed like the more I was resisting, the worse it hurt. I couldn't give in, though! What would become of me if I just let Lucy have her way?

Yeah, that sounded all heroic and all, but the truth was my body just followed Lucy's orders. I was pretty sure my mouth was open and drooling; I wouldn't know, after all. My body didn't feel like mines anymore.

"Put one of the demon charm earrings on, now." Lucy snatched the angel earring from my hand. I didn't know why she did that in such a hurry, though; it's not like I was going to come to my senses anytime soon and fight back. I was completely within her control, I was ashamed to say.

I grabbed the demon earring and raised it to my ear, replacing the angel one. As soon as it made contact with my ear, a tingle of dark energy flooded my left side. The angel earring hadn't felt like this! What was going on?

Lucy smirked. "Good, very good… Now, put this devil charm bracelet on."

Ugh! Who did she think she is, ordering me around like this? No, I didn't need an answer to that. She could hypnotize a person; that was all I needed to know. I had to find a way out of this… Somehow, I had to resist her powers.

I thought it over while my hand was minding its own business and slipping the demon bracelet over my left wrist (the one that was free). Didn't Lucy say that I'd have powers once I've gotten these accessories on…? Maybe I can channel my power together and use it against her…

No… I didn't know how.

Anger boiled up inside me just then. Just because of a stupid demon named Lucy, I have to suffer and lose my chance to get into a good boarding school? No. I had other things to worry about… like my family, my friends, and my pets. If Lucy got her way and I died or returned with her or whatever, what would happen to the rest of them? I doubted whoever was behind this scheme would leave my relatives alone. Things weren't that simple, however easy Lucy made it sound.

_No…!_ I cried mentally. _She's not going to control me… I can't let this happen. _

I felt the bonds weakening. The chains that separated my mind from my body broke, and I fought hard against the boundary to keep it broken. By sheer will power, I was able to gain a little bit of control over myself.

"N-no…" I mumbled. "Stop…"

Lucy gasped.

"How?" she cried, horrified. "No…! This is impossible. My powers can't be weakening?" Her hands shook, and she dropped the angel earring she stole from me just minutes before. Lucy stumbled backwards, and in her haste, she stepped on the earring, breaking it into pieces.

At that moment, I felt something inside of me break. A piece of me was crushed along with the earring piece, as if a part of my soul had been resting inside that little accessory. No, that sounded crazy! What was this? This wasn't normal. The accessories were just accessories; they weren't supposed to become a _part_ of me.

I almost lost myself. I was on the verge of breaking apart, and Lucy wasn't helping. She just stared at me, aghast, pointing a badly-manicured finger at my face. Her hand shook, and she kept stuttering. What was this? Was she trying to scare me?

I heard a tear of fabric, and it was coming form… me? Something was growing out of the skin on my back, near my shoulder blades. It was coming out… fast. I felt like an extra limb was growing out from me. That was not all, though. My tail bone seemed to grow longer and protrude out from my behind; it kept extending, longer and longer. Not to mention my scalp was itching like crazy. Two points on the top of my head were pricking, and I couldn't even scratch it. I was going go to crazy.

"Im-impossible…! Blue and red? No…" Lucy's eyes widened, and suddenly I felt like a freak. It was all I could do, though, not to punch her face in. _She_ was the one that did this to me; why was she complaining now? I was still in a half-hypnotized state, and couldn't exactly make sense of everything. All I knew was that Lucy was the cause of all this and that she was there, standing right in front of me.

That was all I needed to know.

"Go," I said to her. My voice suddenly had a ring of power to it. "Leave! Go back to where you came from, and don't ever appear in front of me again."

Whatever was protruding out of my back flexed, and a breeze lifted Lucy off of her feet. She flew a few feet away from me, closer to the chasm on my floor.

"Wha-!" Lucy shielded her eyes, squinting as I approached her.

"We both know what's going to happen now, Lucy." I said, "There's no need for you to convince me any more, so just leave. Go back to where you came from!"

Lucy made an indistinguishable, high-pitched screeching noise as I came closer. She gripped the angel earring that I had taken off and prepared to jump inside the hole.

"Fine, you can get away this time…" she panted. "I will be back though, mark my words. This isn't natural… this changes everything. I have to consult this with my Master! We won't give up, Ame… Sooner or later you'll be one of us, be sure of that."

With a final hiss at my direction, she jumped into the chasm, back to where she came from. After she disappeared, the crack in my floor mysteriously healed itself. There were no traces of Lucy anymore, and even the crack was gone.

A puff of air escaped my lungs, and with a thump, I collapsed on the floor. I was hesitant to, but eventually I raised my eyes to look at my reflection in my mirror on the other side of the room. When I did, I couldn't help gasping… in shock, disgust, and (yes, I'll admit it) wonder.

A white, feathery angel wing was on the right side of my back. Just like the ones that Maria had. And… on the left side, black bat-like wings rested on the left side of my back. They looked like demon wings, and I wasn't proud of them. Even worse, two horns stuck out the top of my head like Lucy's! My look was even completed with the triangle-tipped tail. _That _was what was protruding out form my tail bone.

I know realized what Lucy meant when she said, "blue and red". My right eye was a sky blue color, and my left eye… my left eye was the same deep red as Lucy's.

I felt like crying, yet I was too stunned and fascinated to cry. I just… I just didn't know what to think.

_Well, there's only one thing to do now… _I told myself. _Come on, Ame… let's pack your bags and get ready to go to Yokai Academy._

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong>

Hello again, dear readers~

I'm glad you're reading Chapter 2 now :) You must be very confused and dubious of the story so far, though… Like, angels and demons? Please, too cliché. And what the hell is with this "mix-breed"? But seriously, just wait a few more chapters until Ame actually _arrives_ at Yokai Academy. Then it'll get interesting! Right now, it's not really "Chapter 1" and "Chapter 2"… it's more like "Prologue Part 1" and "Prologue Part 2"…

And just a heads-up, there will be _plenty_ of more symbolism/imagery like this throughout the story. I don't want to get too in-depth on you guys, but adding a little bit info now and then won't hurt. In fact, kudos to you if you did recognize some of the imagery illustrated here! It just adds a little bit more meaning to the story, you know? ;)

Don't give up on me now, though, guys! I promise, the next chapter will be the one where Ame gets on the school bus to Yokai Academy and meets the bus driver and… someone else. That's all I can tell you x)

So, stay tuned and happy reading~! Favorite if you like and Review to let me know your thoughts on the story :D

— ACookieZ


	3. Chapter 3: School Bus to Yokai Academy

**Angel vs. Demon**

Chapter 3 – School Bus to Yokai Academy

"Good morning, Ame!" My dad was flipping eggs in the kitchen. "Big day today, huh?"

"Yeah…" I yawned, rubbing my eyes. It sure was a big day, yet I didn't get any sleep whatsoever last night.

Midnight rubbed against my ankles, purring. _She_ seemed to know that I needed encouragement. My fuzzy, blue-eyed black cat is always there for me.

I had packed all my things the night before. It's been, what, almost a week since the day of that "accident"…? I preferred not to mention it, but it had been stuck in my head. I was worried that something might happen again. I hoped not, though; I was about to head off to the bus stop for my new boarding school.

"Eat, Ame, and then hurry and catch your bus." My dad piled toast onto my plate.

My mom took my siblings out this morning, to give me some peace and quiet before my departure. They already said their goodbyes last night, and that was a relief. My head would just blow up if they were crowding around me this morning.

A few minutes later, we were ready to go. I didn't know why, exactly… I felt nervous all of a sudden. Was I worried? Certainly. Was I scared about what is to happen? Absolutely. Yet I had to tough it out… for my family's sake, if not for mine. This was _their_ big day too.

"Hey, Ame, watch out!" My dad suddenly hollered. "The cat!"

"Huh?" I turned back to see my dad barely missing closing the door on Midnight's tail. Midnight, being the fast and clever cat that she was, zoomed out of the way before my dad could grab her. Why she had to escape now, I really didn't know. Maybe she was trying to prevent me from going on the school bus?

"Come here, you…" I dropped my bags and belongings and scurried after my cat. "You're not gonna make me late today, ok? Just not today…"

"Mrrrow~" If it was possible, Midnight ran even faster. She was like a black comet shooting alongside the sidewalk.

Looking up, I realized that Midnight was heading towards the bus stop, to where I was going to go in the first place.

"Midnight, come back!" I shouted. I didn't care if other people heard me; my cat was more important than what they thought of my sanity. "Do you want to get run over by a bus?!"

She didn't listen to me; instead, she dove into a bush.

I thought I was going to cry at the moment. The bus didn't come, thank goodness, but I'd lost my cat. And my dad was back there all alone, dragging my luggage here. By the time he made it here, the bus might have already left.

So far, my day was going major crappy.

"Hey, little kitty…" I suddenly heard a voice on the other side of the bushes. "How did you get here?"

Instantly, my ears perked up. _That might be my cat,_ I thought. _I'd better go check!_

Creeping along the bushes, I tried to find a big enough space to squeeze through. The bushes were all tightly planted together.

"Here, you want my meat? Are you hungry?"

_That didn't sound right at all,_ was all I thought then. _What is that person trying to do, make my cat bite him so he can sue whoever the owner is? And if not, is he trying to poison Midnight?_

Finally, I couldn't take it anymore. Who needed a bigger space? Squeezing my eyes shut and protecting my head, I ran through the bushes to the other side…

… to come upon my cat gobbling up a sausage.

Immediately, I grabbed Midnight up. "No, spit that out! It could be poisonous!"

"Hey, it's not!" Whoever was feeding Midnight made a shuffling noise, standing up and patting down his pants. "It was my breakfast."

Turning around, my breath caught in my throat. Believe me, I could talk, but just then I was speechless.

The guy was gorgeous. And I mean _hot_. He had blue eyes, and blond hair that was spiked up just so. He was also wearing a T-shirt that showed off his muscle. Did I mention he had muscle? Lots and lots of muscle.

"Oh," was all I could say. "Sorry…?"

I turned back to Midnight. "You, spit his breakfast out right now!"

The guy laughed. "Nah, it's alright… I wouldn't want to eat my breakfast after your cat spit it out."

That wasn't what I meant, of course, but I couldn't tell him that. I wasn't a person to get embarrassed easily, trust me, yet I swear I blushed just then.

I didn't know if it was because I told her to, or because the sausage tasted bad… Midnight ended up throwing it all up anyway, right there on the spot. It truly wasn't a great thing to see in the morning.

"Whoa," the guy said, backing away.

"Oh no, come on, Midnight…" I groaned miserably, but all my cat did was hiss at the sausage bits in her cat-upchuck. She even hissed at the dude who fed her the sausage.

I decided to escape the crime scene as soon as possible. It might be irresponsible of me, but I wasn't going to clean up cat puke right before my school year started.

"Good idea," the guy said, following my lead. "Let's escape as soon as possible, huh?"

I liked the "let's" part.

After we've ran through the bushes back to the sidewalk with the bus stop, my dad came struggling forwards, lugging my suitcase and bags.

Oops. I felt so bad then… I was such a horrible daughter.

"Here," he said, breathing hard. It must have been a real work-out for him, carrying all my stuff. "This is the bus stop, right?"

"Yeah, thanks, Dad."

My dad looked up just then, mopping his forehead. "And who's this?"

You'd think the first thing he'd notice was my cat, being the reason I was here and all. Yet, being a dad, he had to notice the guy first.

"I'm Garron," he said. "I'm just taking the bus here. I'll be heading to my new school today."

"What…?" It seems like he could also, possibly, be going to Yokai Academy.

"Are you going to Yokai Academy?" my dad asked. Great job, Dad. Leave it to him to be very indirect.

"Yes, in fact." Garron looked cautiously surprised. "How did you know?"

"It's because I'm going, too." I smiled, thinking for the first time this might not be too bad.

Garron grinned. "Ah, the cat-girl. So that's how your dad knew."

My dad eyed us wearily, and he didn't look too keen on letting me leave anymore. I rolled my eyes at him, and handed him my cat.

"Take good care of her for me, please, when I'm gone. Feed her, brush her, change her litter box, and don't forget to play with her…!"

"Yes, ma'am." My dad could be so cheeky sometimes.

Just then, the bus rolled in.

"Time to go!" my dad announced, handing me my luggage. "Be good, ok?"

"Yes, I know."

The bus door opened, and my dad gave me one last hug. "Call and write often,"

"Ok."

Garron, being the great guy that he was, helped me carry some of my heavy baggage up the steps of the bus.

"Thanks," I said. "I really appreciate it."

"Oh, no, it's totally fine." Garron smiled at me, and I couldn't help smiling back.

The bus doors started to close behind us. Sitting near the middle where there was an open window, I waved at my dad.

"Be safe!" he said. "Be good, and don't do drugs! Don't let boys into your dorm room!"

"Dad!" I cried. Why did he have to embarrass me out here in broad daylight?

At that last second, just when the doors were almost shut, Midnight slipped out of my dad's arms and darted into the bus.

"Oh no…!" I made a move to carry her back down, but she looked at me so pitifully that I hesitated.

"Sorry, Mr. Bus-Driver…" I called, "Can you wait a second, please? My cat needs to get down. I'm sorry…"

"Why should you be?" The bus driver pulled his cap down over his head. "It seems like the cat wanted to come on her own, huh…? So let her be. It seems she wants to stay with you, after all."

"Oh… alright, then, if it's ok…" I looked at my dad, who was waiting outside.

"I'm taking Midnight with me!" I called.

"What? Are you sure that's allowed at the school?"

I was silent. I didn't exactly know, but the bus driver answered for me.

"Oh, that's quite alright," he said. "Animals are allowed at school… since some of the students are animals themselves…"

I didn't get what he meant by the last part, exactly (were the students there beasts? Perverts? _Animals?_), but I told my dad I was good to go. He waved at me as I stumbled back towards my seat with my cat in my arms.

I fell back into my seat and sighed, as the door closed and the bus driver stepped on the gas pedal. Midnight crawled into my lap, facing Garron, her tail swishing back and forth dangerously. She stared at him intently… it almost looked like she was glaring or something. Although that couldn't be possible; cats didn't glare.

This was getting kind of awkward.

Smoke suddenly wafted in through the front of the bus, and I started coughing. Looking up, I saw that it was the bus driver who was smoking.

Weren't buses – especially _school_ buses – supposed to be a smoke-free zone?

I didn't want to be impolite, even though I couldn't stand the smell of smoke. Sitting up straight, I put my nose as close to the window as possible, trying to breathe in some of the nice cold air wafting through the cracks.

"Hey, bus driver." A male voice at the back called out. "Can you quit the smoking?"

Garron and I both looked back at whoever spoke. The guy was so quiet back there I hardly noticed him when we first came in. He had dark hair and greenish-brown eyes that were tinted-looking. He was good-looking too… but not in the same way as Garron. This new guy looked handsome in a badass, dangerous way; he had the aura that made people want to back away from him.

The bus driver looked at him from the rear-view mirror in what appeared to be amusement. "What's that, son?"

"I told you could stop smoking."

For a minute I thought he asked the bus driver to quit it because he realized I was coughing. But his following sentence made it clear to me that this guy thought nothing of anything besides himself.

"I can't stand the smell of smoke."

The bus driver chuckled. "I see…" He then got rid of his cigar.

"But you know, son," he continued, "nothing is going to be exactly as you like here… especially at Yokai Academy. Do you know what you are in for?"

"Of course," the guy answered.

The bus driver's comment made my stomach turn, though. Was it possible that he knew everything about it already? I was so occupied with the stuff I have at my hands that I didn't even bother to worry about the school yet. I worried plenty during the days before today, of course, but now that we were on the bus… things feel quite different.

We sat in silence for a few more minutes. Suddenly, I heard a growling sound.

"Midnight…?" I glared down at my cat, sure that she had bared her fangs at Garron again.

Garron, on the other hand, laughed. "No, no… that wasn't your cat, it was _me_. Well, it was my stomach."

"Oh…" I was confused for a minute, but then I remembered. "You didn't have any breakfast, did you? Because of Midnight. I'm so sorry…" I began rummaging through my bag, the bag that contains my stash of "secret stuff". I pulled out a cookie. Being the cautious, overly-prepared person I was, I had brought a few snacks along.

"Want one?" I asked, offering it to Garron. "I was saving it for my dorm and stuff, but we can eat it on the bus. You didn't have breakfast, and it's partly my fault…"

Garron gladly accepted the cookie. "Thank you."

"No problem." I replied, then looked back and saw the grumpy dude. Not wanting to be rude, I offered him some too.

He did grudgingly accept it… Well, let's face it. Guys were always hungry.

Things were looking much happier now that we've all had a cookie. I felt much more at ease, and I looked to the back of the bus to check on Mr. Grumpy again. He had cookie crumbs covering his jaw, and he didn't even notice it! With his apathetic expression on his face and the cookies stuck to his chin, I almost started laughing.

"Here… what's your name?" I asked, offering him a smile.

"Kiseki Shuzen," he answered, giving me a quick glance.

"I'm Ame Kanmuri." I handed him a napkin from my bag. "Why don't you… wipe your face with this?"

He touched his chin briefly, felt the cookie crumbs, and grudgingly accepted my napkin.

"Thank you," he muttered, looking semi-embarrassed.

"You're welcome." I replied. He didn't seem to be such a bad guy after all, as I had first thought. He was grumpy, sure, but we were still strangers; if we were all going to the same school, I was sure he'd warn up to other people sooner or later.

Just then, the bus driver announced something.

"We're almost there," he said. "After we pass this tunnel… there's no turning back."

I gulped. A mix of… I don't know… excitement, fear, and exhilaration washed over me. Why did the bus driver have to be so cryptic? Why can't he just tell us what was at the end of the tunnel, and why we couldn't turn back?

Well, actually, I didn't think I needed his answers. I had a feeling I might know it already myself… I just wasn't brave enough to face it yet.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong>

Hi you guys~

I know; lots of stuff happened in this chapter… But, before explaining things, I just want to say this: To all of you out there, I'm sooo sorry if this story didn't turn out the way you thought it would (if you thought otherwise)! And for adding in two new characters… completely rebelling against the script, I know. And making them go to Yokai Academy as well? Absolutely unacceptable.

But the one thing I didn't like in Rosario Vampire was now Tsukune seemed to be the only main guy character in basically the entire series. Sure, other guys cropped up, but if you think about it… it's kinda unsettling. Yes-yes, I know, the whole theme was the "females-all-going-for-Tsukune" and the "harem" thing… but I think Tsukune needs a guy-buddy or two :( Oh well, it might just be my opinion… T^T

But still, stick around. You'll see how the two guys just had to be here, and without them my whole plot would just fall apart! ;)

Rant time:

"Kiseki" – it basically means "miracle" in Japanese. You'll find out why later.

And, from this chapter, you guys probably all think that I'm a cat-person. xD In fact, I'm both a cat AND dog person. I love all my pets (and trust me, I've had lots), and I do currently own a cat and a dog. But in this case (in the story), it was much simpler to use a cat to sneak into the bus rather than a dog, right? And a black cat (all feline and fangs) just seems to suit the atmosphere much better. x)

And – yay! – Ame finally gets on the bus to go to Yokai Academy. Truthfully, I'm a fan of the bus driver. xD He's so creepy, but so cool at the same time. I was glad when his part came out~

Well, see you in the next chapter!

— ACookieZ


	4. Chapter 4: Arrival

**Angel vs. Demon**

Chapter 4 – Arrival

The bus driver stopped after we exited the tunnel, and we all got out. I assumed that the bus stop was outside of the school grounds, because the habitat here looked… abandoned. Eerie, I guess you could say; it definitely created a gloomy, dark atmosphere.

Bare trees bent over the unkempt grass, and the dirt road didn't look like a proper sidewalk at all. A deformed scarecrow sat on a cross near the bus stop, and beyond that there was… a lake? We were on a cliff, I soon realized. Things looked dangerous and wild here…

And I liked it.

Back at home, all I could do was stare outside the window from my room and pretend to do homework… Now, it looked like I could actually _do_ something here!

"Thank you, Mr. Bus Driver!" I waved goodbye to him as I lugged my stuff down the steps of the bus.

"You're welcome," he drawled in his deep, brooding voice. "You be careful, huh? Good luck to you, now…"

Now, why did I get the feeling that he had said this to many other people before me?

Anyway, after we bid farewell to the bus driver, Garron, Kiseki, and I walked on the well-worn path into the woods. The school campus indeed seemed very big… I swear I could get lost in here if I wasn't careful.

"You don't seem nervous about this place, do you, Ame?" Garron asked, seeing me gawk at the tombstones and crooked trees that lined the dirt road.

"Oh, no," I replied. "I'm kind of excited, really."

"You should be scared, actually." Kiseki snorted, like me being excited for this school seemed stupid and typical.

Garron's eyebrows lifted. "And why is that?"

"I've got relatives already attending this school," Kiseki answered. "I do hear things, you know. This school… there's more things going on here than you would ever like to know about."

I considered that. From what Maria and Lucy told me, that was true. Yet why do I feel excited, now that I was actually here at this school? I should feel that the danger was more pronounced, the closer I got… not the opposite.

Midnight meowed, running ahead. Looking up to where she was, I saw that we were fast approaching the main entrance. It was an old iron gate, and a lone figure was standing in front of it, sweeping the ground. She had two thin, ponytails on the sides of her head, with the rest of her hair down. It looked slightly anime-style.

"Hello," Garron called. "I'm Garron Lived, and this is Ame Kanmuri and Kiseki Shuzen."

The young woman looked up. "Oh, you three must be the new students coming today! Follow me; I'll take you to the Headmaster's office."

As she led the way, I quickly scooped Midnight up and placed her on top of my luggage. I didn't want her getting lost inside this big academy.

"I'm Ruby, by the way." Ruby turned and smiled at us. "I'm basically the school custodian, and I help out with many of the Headmaster's orders. After you meet the Headmaster, I will assign you to your dorm rooms and have you check out the uniforms…"

As she talked, I couldn't help but notice what she was wearing. It was a long under-the-knee black skirt, with a corset-looking top. I didn't pay much attention to her outfit before (since I thought it was part of the uniform she was supposed to wear), but looking at the few students in uniforms around us, hers still seemed a bit… off.

"Is that an old-fashioned corset she's wearing?" Kiseki whispered. I couldn't help but smile dryly. Garron and I wouldn't have said that out loud, of course, but I was starting to understand Kiseki's character a little bit. He seemed so arrogant and frank, but also intelligent… almost like he had a reason to be arrogant. I was sure he did.

We had arrived in front of the Headmaster's office. The double doors seemed very intimidating, but grand. You could almost feel power radiating from inside the room.

"Well, here we are." Ruby knocked, and then gestured for us to enter. "I'll wait outside until you guys are finished."

The three of us cautiously entered, and to my surprise, I realized that the room barely had any light illuminating it. Dark curtains and drapery covered the ceiling-to-floor windows, and the Headmaster sat behind a dark mahogany-colored wooden desk.

He was dressed in a priest costume; although I got the feeling he wasn't trying to be amusing. His white headwear covered his eyes, and it made me feel uncomfortable. He could see us perfectly, and yet we couldn't make eye contact. This might sound odd, but I felt vulnerable… I got the same feeling when you are having a conversation with a person wearing sunglasses or shades. They could see your every move, but they themselves were still hidden behind their lenses.

"Hello, Ame, Kiseki, and Garron…" He smiled slightly, like we were amusing. "Welcome to Yokai Academy. I'm sure you three are excited to explore the school, and you will have time to do that… First, we have to complete a few forms and go over a few rules."

I wasn't sure if all the students visited the Headmaster before they started their regular classes, but he was true to his word. After making us sign a few forms and going over a few of the basic rules – some including keeping a human disguise and form at all times on school campus, and using our powers for good and not harming humans – he let us go.

The whole talk made me feel quite uncomfortable, though. I was sure he didn't know I was human, but still… monsters promising to be good, and not "harming" humans? What was that? So if they knew I wasn't a monster… they'd "harm" me? This wasn't turning out as favorable as I'd imagined.

Ruby greeted us as we exited the office, and I had caught her in the act of petting Midnight. She smiled at me shyly then straightened up. "Alright now, everyone, we'll head over to the uniform shop. Right this way!"

We rolled our luggage into the main hall, and placed them in a very convenient storage space under the stairs. We could get it as soon as we were done looking for our uniforms.

"By the way, Ame…" Ruby turned around and smiled at me. "This is quite an adorable cat you have. What's its name?"

"Her name's Midnight," I replied. "Oh, but I wasn't exactly sure if the school allowed pets, so I…"

"Oh, it's quite alright." Ruby scratched Midnight behind her ears. "Animals are okay… as long as they're taken care of. They have to be kept safe. We don't want them wandering around and getting eaten as snacks, do we? To be honest, we did lose a few pets over the years… That's why boarding students found it wise not to bring their animals along. Most students don't own any, anyways…" She trailed off, as if she realized she had said too much.

"Anyway, here's the uniform shop!" Ruby unlocked the door and ushered us in. "We have to find your size, first, and then we can take your order. I can recommend things, but buy what you think you'll need."

Rows and rows of uniforms lined the shop. One side was for the guys, and the other side was for the girls. The uniforms didn't look that bad… The blazers were a nice turquoise color, and the skirts were plaid, tan-colored and classy.

"For you…" Ruby looked me up and down, after having sent the guys to decide on their own. She said she'd help them later, but ladies first. "Personally, I'd recommend a casual uniform. A blazer and blouse can just get so stiff sometimes. Besides, I think this outfit suits you!"

She pulled off an outfit from a nearby rack, and showed it to me. It was a white blouse with a sleeve-less yellow sweater-vest and a ribbon. It looked so cute!

"This could be your size…" Ruby checked the tag. "The fitting room is just down there."

I grabbed a skirt on my way, too. To my surprise, the skirts were actually short… like, shorter than usual high school skirts. Wasn't the standard a hand above the knee or something?

"For you, Kiseki… something dressy and professional-looking." I heard Ruby rustling through the racks of uniforms. "A blazer, definitely… Hmm, how about these pants? I think they're the right size…"

After trying on the uniform, I folded them neatly and made my way out of the change rooms. The clothes had fit me; and they had looked pretty good, too, I must say. I was starting to like Yokai Academy.

On my way out, I bumped into Kiseki going in to try out his outfit. I smiled at him, and he did smile back. A little reluctantly, however… I could tell that he wasn't used to being so friendly with people. I hoped that the other students at Yokai Academy wouldn't be the same… If they were all gloomy and serious like Kiseki, who would be able to make friends with them?

"Oh, Ame, did those fit?" Ruby hurried over, carrying a pair of dress shoes. "If they did, try these on next…"

"They were perfect," I told Ruby. "Thanks so much."

"You're welcome," Ruby said, smiling in satisfaction. She seemed to like pleasing others and making them proud of her work. We were kind of alike, in that sense.

"Oh, and also…" She pulled out something from behind her back. "Ta-da! Look at this!"

It was a package of cat clothes… Pajamas for cats, little mittens for their paws… and even a Yokai Academy school sweater, mini-size!

"It's for Midnight!" Ruby grinned at me, and handed me the package. I could tell then she really liked my cat. "Just for fun, of course…"

"Thank you so much, Ruby! These are amazing!"

Ruby blushed. "No, they're nothing…"

At that moment, both guys exited their change rooms. Garron was dressed in just a button-down white collared shirt, with his tie loose, and Kiseki was dressed similarly… except in a blazer.

And I must say, both guys were equally hot. Did school uniforms ever look so good?

Ruby clapped her hands. "They're perfect!"

"Yeah, they are." I nodded in agreement, blushing a little.

Half an hour later, we were ready to pay. We had already paid the uniform fee in our cost for the whole semester, so all Ruby had to do was record it. I wasn't a big fan of the uniform shoes, though, even though they were comfortable and fit me nicely. They were black dress shoes, and kind of boring-looking. The uniforms themselves I _did_ like.

"That was nice," I said, swinging my bag left to right as we made our way to our luggage. "I should go explore the rest of the school, later… take a tour and stuff, I guess."

"Totally," Garron agreed. "We could go together, if you want."

I looked up at him in surprise. "Really…?"

"Of course," he answered. "If we stop by the cafeteria, I can even get you something."

I smiled. Garron had his ways of cheering people up.

"Wait a second," Kiseki suddenly interrupted. "I want to come."

Garron looked back at him, and Kiseki held his hands up to show that he had nothing to hide. "No, I don't want to be the third wheel, but I'm new here, too. I was thinking of getting my relative to take us on a tour, later."

"That's a great idea, actually…" I pondered over this. Meeting new people possibly would be a good thing, especially since we were newcomers and all. "Well, how about this… we could call each other later, when we're all ready, and we could meet together with Kiseki's relative and go on the tour!"

Garron agreed, and wrote down his cell phone number for me. Kiseki did the same, and I gave them mine. We were to meet at the main gate, after unpacking and settling down. I assumed it would be afternoon, by then. We would have to have lunch first, and then go on the tour.

We quickly exited the building and made our way to the dorms. Garron's dorm was farther away, and so he left Kiseki and me, heading down the other path to the left.

"Bye, guys! I'll call you later, Ame…!"

Somehow, that made me feel a whole lot better.

The feeling didn't last, though. Now, it was just me and Kiseki, alone. It was kind of awkward. We walked in silence, with me occasionally trying to make conversation, and failing. I was pretty good at small talk, but Kiseki just wasn't cooperating with me.

As we arrived near our dorm buildings, I looked at my dorm address, compared it with Kiseki's, and pointed. "Look, Kiseki! Our dorm rooms are right across from each others…!"

"Yeah," he said, unenthusiastic. I sighed and ruffled Midnight's head, hoping she would comfort me and protect me from Kiseki's aura of coldness.

_Crack, crack_ - _!_

A scuffling, cracking noise suddenly sounded behind us, and I immediately whipped around. I strained my eyes, listening, and Midnight seemed to do the same.

"Kiseki…" I whispered, "Did you hear that…?"

"Shh," he hissed, leaning forward. "I think it's coming from behind that tombstone."

There sure were a lot of tombstones at Yokai Academy. What did they do, plant dead bodies? Did this area used to be a graveyard?

I saw a bit of movement, then. A hand was poking out from the ground, reaching out and grabbing at the air; its nails were decayed and rotten. The hand had an odd sheen to it. The limb looked dead.

"Whoa…" I murmured.

Intrigued, I moved closer. The hand couldn't possibly be dangerous. It was still half-buried, and it wanted to get out. Why did it want to get out, though? What was even connected to the hand? All these questions – and more – made me want to investigate. I cautiously went up to it, grabbing a nearby stick.

"Ame!" I could hear the astonishment and shock in Kiseki's voice. "What the hell are you doing? That could be dangerous! Get back here!"

"No, wait…!" I wanted to explain to him how it was probably harmless, but he wouldn't understand. He probably wouldn't even understand my fascination about this. "I just want to see… I mean, look at it…!"

I poked it gently with the end of my stick. "It's… kind of sickening. I wonder why it's still alive…?"

"Ame, watch out - !"

Before I could react, something wrapped around my ankle and yanked me downwards. I fell, landing on my behind. I saw what pulled me down, though… It was another hand, almost the same as the first one I saw. This one definitely seemed more alive; it was making the hole it was protruding out from deeper, as if preparing to drag me into it. It continuously yanked me downwards, and it was all I could do to stop my leg from being tugged into its hole.

"Kiseki!" I called, looking around wildly. I dug my nails into the ground, not caring about it just then. I was usually so careful with my nails. "Kiseki? Help, please…! Where are you?"

I looked around once more, but all I saw were other zombie hands poking out from the ground. It seemed like my cry for help agitated them even more. I didn't see Kiseki, though.

He had disappeared.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note<strong>

Eeek, I know, cliff-hanger ending!

I have to apologize, though… I didn't describe the Headmaster well enough :/ He's a very mysterious character, honestly. Nobody even knows what his eyes look like xD

Speaking of characters, Kiseki might seem disappointing to you so far. He seems like the bad guy, of course, and just in the cliff-hanger above, he abandons Ame in his plan to escape and save himself (or does he…?). He will make a comeback in the next chapter, I promise. (No spoilers, though. Sorry, you'll have to read on!)

Well, that's about it. Favorite this story if you like and Review to let me know your thoughts on the developments so far! I love reading your comments, they inspire me…! :D

― ACookieZ


	5. Chapter 5: Trouble on the First Day

**Angel vs. Demon**

Chapter 5 – Trouble on the First Day

Suddenly, a hand clapped onto my shoulder. I almost screamed. First, Kiseki was gone; now, another zombie had gotten a hold of me? What was this world coming to? It was no use calling for help, though, I knew that much. Nobody was around at all, since we were so far away from the dorms. I'd just be wasting my breath.

"Shh, be quiet!" a voice hissed in my ear. I spun around as best as I could in my position (being half-dragged down towards the ground), and Kiseki's face loomed over me. "You're going to wake up more of the dead if you make a racquet!"

I felt so relieved to see him! Any angry thoughts about him abandoning me a while ago disappeared. I did feel a tiny bit annoyed though. Why had he assumed that I would make a racquet? I knew what could and couldn't be done; I wasn't _that_ stupid.

I was just about to ask him for help, when he suddenly grabbed a hold of me and swung me up from the ground like a rag doll. I was light for my size, I know, but I didn't think any normal person could have done that.

Right, what was I thinking? He wasn't normal. Nobody at this academy was.

Kiseki carried me in his arms in a bridal position, not letting my feet touch the ground. It was an awkward pose to be in, for me… Nobody's ever carried me like this before. Not even my dad, when I was a little girl.

"Ugh, disgusting creatures." Kiseki wrinkled his nose at the twitching zombie hands sticking up from the ground. "Look at them! It's still clinging on to you right now…!"

I looked down at my leg, and found that he was right; a zombie's hand, dislocated from its body, still clung onto my foot. I didn't want to go into details, but I found out just then that zombies didn't exactly have veins, blood, or a functioning circulatory system. Its hand was a dead color, a mixture between grey and blue. Some were even slightly green.

"I think I'm going to puke," I whispered, just staring at it.

Kiseki immediately dropped me down on my feet. "Go puke somewhere else, then, please."

I glared at him. "Thank you for saving me, Kiseki, and then ruining the moment."

"There was a 'moment'?"

"Forget it," I sighed. I shook the zombie hand off of me, and then headed back towards the dorms. Kiseki ran to catch up with me.

"Wait, there's one thing I don't get." Kiseki looked at me, perplexed, and then shook his head. "Why the hell did you go there, to that zombie, when you knew that it was dangerous? Wait, strike that. Why did you go, when you didn't even know what it was?"

Good question.

"Um…" I tried to think of a good reason, but anything I said would have sounded crazy, or stupid, or rash. He must have thought I was just some stupid girl, wandering off to get myself into trouble. This thought steered me into focus. I had to explain myself now, no matter what.

"I was fascinated," I answered simply. "Yes, I know that might sound stupid. But in the human world, where I come from, there's nothing like this there. I've never seen anything similar to that in my life! To you, it might be an everyday thing… To me, it's something worth knowing about. I just _had_ to check it out, I guess…"

Kiseki was silent for a while. Finally, he spoke.

"They're the undead," he said. "Since there are many dead bodies buried around here on campus, some… some don't rest in peace, and come back basically as zombies. They're trapped in their decayed bodies for who knows how long, and they try to escape. That's why they sensed you, a living being, and tried to drag you down."

I stared at him. Since when did he turn from being a jerk, to Mr. Helpful?

"What?" he asked, looking slightly embarrassed. "I thought you said it was worth knowing about."

"Nothing," I answered, trying to hide my smile. Kiseki sure was interesting. "Oh, by the way… Where did you disappear off to when I screamed for help?"

He looked uncomfortable. "What? No, I never went anywhere…"

I raised my eyebrows at him, but he still kept silent. With a sigh, I gave up and walked towards my dorm. He would tell me when he was ready, I was sure. I knew for a fact, though, that he definitely wasn't around me when I first called for help; if he was, I would've seen him or something.

I collapsed on my dorm bed as soon as I arrived in my room. It had been an extremely tiring day, and I was worn out. My dorm room, to my surprise, wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. Before, I had pictured myself in a small cramped area, feet tucked in, with unknown objects scurrying across the ground. Now, though, I was determined to settle in and make this room Ame-ized. (If that isn't a word, it should be…)

Plain white curtains covered the windows on one side of the room, and a working desk with a matching chair sat against the wall to the other side. A bookshelf was beside my sleeping area, along with a closet.

First off, I had to get rid of all my books, binders, and papers and organize them on the shelf. Those were the heaviest to bring along, and I was glad to be rid of them. Next, I started dumping out all my clothes. It probably wasn't the smartest thing to carry so many clothes to a school with a uniform policy, but some clothes just couldn't be ignored. Besides, if I had left them back home, who was going to wear them? My semi-spoiled little sister definitely wouldn't want to wear my hand-me-downs.

I noticed that I still kept on the bracelets and earrings, though, while I unpacked. I thought about taking them off and storing them somewhere safe (preferably away from me), but I decided to wear them. It was as safe a place as they could get, being worn. Besides, this feeling in my gut just told me not to take them off.

After sorting everything out and adding all the necessary trinkets and accessories to my room, I changed into my uniform and got ready to go down to eat. Truthfully, I was a little bit terrified. I didn't know anyone besides Garron and Kiseki, and I was scared I was going to be a loner at Yokai Academy.

Suddenly, I remembered something.

"Oh yeah, I forgot to call them!" I cried out loud. I dug out my cell phone and dialed Garron's number first. I figured he would be more willing to talk to me than Kiseki was.

To my great disappointment, there was no connection. How could this be? The school was surrounded by woods and forests, yes, but how could there be no connection? What were we supposed to do, then? No laptops, no computers, no electronic device…

You've got to be kidding me.

I raced downstairs, and exited the dorm to go to the cafeteria. If I couldn't call the guys, I'd just have to do it the old-fashioned way: look for them by foot, and tentatively call out their names once in a while, while trying not to attract attention and seem like I was hallucinating or talking to myself like some mentally-ill person.

"Kiseki? Garron…?"

I was pretty tall for my age, a little above average height, but these people at Yokai Academy were _huge_! I'm not even exaggerating. Most of these human-looking "people", if you could call them that, were taller than your average human. It was really kind of intimidating.

A dark shadow suddenly loomed over me. I spun around, and saw a huge dark figure. The guy had dark, long, combed-back hair, and had a piercing on his lip.

"Hello, there. You new?" His voice was deep, and drawled.

I knew immediately that he was trouble. A tall, intimidating dude who picks on new girls? Total jerk. I bet he did this to every new girl he saw.

"Yes," I answered sweetly. Nice and easy-going was the way to deal with this. If I snapped back at him with a retort, he might just get aggressive. "I'm looking for the cafeteria. Could you perhaps take me there?"

If he agreed, my plan would succeed. Bringing him to a place with lots of by-standers and witnesses would probably save me from his numerous attempts of… whatever he's going to attempt to do. I wasn't willing to find out.

"Sure," he licked his lips. "I was hungry just now, anyway."

He chilled me to my bones. I wanted to run away, but I had to remind myself that he wasn't human. He could easily outrun me, and possibly hurt me.

"You know, I wish all the new girls are as easy as you," he chuckled, walking along. "I heard from my old pal Saizo… Moka was a hard one to get – she ditched him for this douche Tsukune. She wasn't as easy to get as you…"

Hearing this made me almost blow my nice-girl cover. I was easy? Please. But, in the end, curiosity won over anger.

"Moka?" I asked. "Tsukune?" Just who were they…?

The guy sneered. "Don't tell me you don't know them? The entire school's heard of them…"

I kept silent. Angering him would possibly result in me dying. I just concentrated on the tiles beneath my feet as we walked to the cafeteria… One step, two step; left feet, right feet…

Suddenly, I realized the tiles beneath my feet were gone. Dirt covered the ground, and I looked up to see that we were heading away from the school buildings.

"Wait," I said, coming to a stop. "This isn't the cafeteria…"

The guy laughed loudly. "I told you, I was hungry. That didn't mean I was going to eat in the cafeteria!" His body trembled, and his voice turned into a growl.

I backed away, fear flooding my body. What was I thinking, trying to trick this guy? He was different from me; why did I even bother trusting him? Why did I even ask for his help in the first place?

"I'm hungry~" he sang in his monstrous voice. "You smell amazing, by the way." He sniffed the air, and every hair on my body rose. "You smell… delicious."

His body expanded, as impossible as it sounded, and visible muscle slithered under his skin.

I shuddered, but I didn't want to run away. What exactly was this guy going to do to me? I either had to find out, or try to stop him. Neither option seemed possible, and I was just pondering on what to do when ―

Suddenly, a shape dropped out of the sky. It landed right on top of the guy, and tackled him to the ground. To my great shock, I realized it was Kiseki. His figure, toned and muscular when I first saw him, turned incomparably small and insignificant next to the monster.

"Kiseki!" I shouted. "What the hell are you doing? Do you want to kill yourself?"

He didn't answer, though. He didn't need to. His speed was so fast, I could hardly see him as he flew around the monster, attacking him from behind. Kiseki was just a shapeless blur.

Suddenly, things clicked together for me. If Kiseki was this fast right now, he must have been just as fast back there when the zombies attacked me. He probably ran around me or something, trying to get to the zombies, and I couldn't even see him. He had saved me twice in just this day… yet I wasn't as thankful as I should be. In fact, his abilities kind of scared me.

_If he could do this to that monster, what could he do to me? _I thought. Suddenly, Kiseki seemed dangerous. It wasn't a good kind of dangerous, believe me… It scared me enough to almost make me rather pick the monster over him, instead.

During my mental debates and internal arguments, Kiseki approached me. He had left the guy lying facedown near the bushes, all bruised and battered up.

"Let's go," he said, all cool, like nothing had happened. "I'll take you to the cafeteria."

I stared at him blankly, not comprehending. He had just beat up a ten-foot-tall monster, used some supernatural power of his to make him invisible to the human eye when he was in motion, and now he just calmly approaches me and asks to take me to go eat lunch?

"Um…" I looked at the unconscious monster, and my brows furrowed together. "What did you do to him?"

"What, him?" Kiseki looked confused. "He was going to attack you, didn't you know? I just… stopped him."

"You hurt him," I said out loud. "You… possibly killed him. Aren't you going to get in trouble for that?" This was all so twisted. Was this normal in Yokai Academy? Did people just beat up others to "stop" them?

Kiseki looked like me as if I grew two heads. "Huh… You're unbelievable. Aren't you supposed to show your appreciation and thank me? If not, at least go to where you're supposed to be, and let me take you to the cafeteria."

Numbly, I followed him. I didn't think things would get this nasty, and my brain was still processing everything.

"We just leave him there?" I asked, surprised.

Kiseki rolled his eyes. "What do you want me to do, carry him to the infirmary?"

_That's one option, _I thought, but I didn't dare say it out loud. Another thing was bothering me.

"Kiseki…" I said, "The reason why I couldn't see you back there near the dorms… You were running or something, weren't you? Doing something super-fast, so that I couldn't see you…"

Kiseki cleared his throat uncomfortably.

"There were other zombies creeping up around you," he explained. "They would have gotten you if I didn't destroy them all."

My heart clenched. He saved me, yes, but how? By destroying things. Again. And how would I know when he'd destroy me? I was standing beside a ticking time-bomb, and I suddenly felt extremely vulnerable. I just hoped that he still consider us to be on friendly terms, considering that I kind of saved him… in his time of hunger on the bus. Althought that couldn't possibly compare to what he had done for me, he wouldn't hurt me. Hopefully.

"Thank you," I said. I really meant it. I couldn't have survived my first day here without Kiseki. "I really appreciate all you did for me…"

"It was nothing," he answered, looking surprised that I was thanking him. "Just a normal thing to do for someone."

I doubted that. Killing off people to save other people was normal? That was so unnatural.

As we entered the cafeteria, a group of teenagers ran up to us. They were around my age, but all of them were extraordinarily beautiful. They didn't feel intimidating, not like the other students I've met. All of them were girls, except for this one very… average-looking guy.

"Kiseki, how come you're so late?" A beautiful, long-haired girl grabbed his arm and pulled him to their table in the cafeteria. "Garron already arrived and introduced himself to us, but you didn't even show up!"

Suddenly, she looked up and saw me. A smile lit up her face. "Oh, you must be Ame! Garron told us about you, too…! Welcome to Yokai Academy."

I felt relieved, having met all these friendly people, but I was kind of confused at the same time. Just how did they know us? No, wait… just how did they know _Kiseki_?

As if sensing my confusion, Kiseki answered for me.

"This here is my… step-sister, I guess you could say. These are her friends."

"I'm Yukari Sendo," A girl shorter than the rest of them said, leaping forward and introducing herself. She wore a witch hat and a cute witch costume… that was what I assumed her to be. "I'm younger than all of them, but smarter, too!"

"Oh, be quiet…" A girl with her hair in a high ponytail stepped forward.

"I'm Kurumu Kurono," she said. "Nice to meet you."

Now, let's be clear on one point… I am not a lesbian. But I couldn't help but notice her huge breasts as she talked. I didn't stare at them; no way! I'm not a pervert. It was just… too noticeable. She wasn't as tall as Kiseki's step-sister, but she had a very curvy figure. Her eyelashes were extremely long, too.

"I'm Ame Kanmuri. Nice to meet all of you, too…!"

"Yes, welcome, both of you." The guy finally spoke up, and to my surprise, his voice was very gentle. Well, I shouldn't be surprised. No offence to him, of course, but he didn't look all that buff and intimidating.

These people were all so nice and polite. So different from that monster…

As we followed them to their lunch table, I realized that Garron was already there, setting up our lunch.

"Oh hi, Ame, Kiseki!" he called. "You guys are finally here…! I didn't know what you liked, so I got you guys a bit of everything."

"Thank you, Garron." I sat down at the table, as everyone else did.

The long-haired girl spoke. "It's a bit late, so I'll explain some of the things on the tour while you guys eat. We'll try to save as much time as possible. I'm Moka Akashiya, by the way… and this guy here beside me is Tsukune Aono."

I almost chocked on the rice that Garron got for me. Moka and Tsukune? _The_ Moka and Tsukune? I was positive that the monster Kiseki dealt with had mentioned them… with a tone of loathing.

Great. What had I gotten myself into?

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong>

Hello again, people!

This chapter is where Moka, Tsukune, and the others finally make their debut! xD It probably wasn't as exciting as you thought it would be, but I didn't want Ame, Garron, and Kiseki meeting them in an action scene. It would be… too extreme and predictable. And who would they fight? It would be totally absurd to have our three characters walk in on them just when they're fighting their asses off and using magnificent powers and stuff -.-

Well, rant-time…

Kiseki does make a comeback! He saves the day… twice~ xD I know some of you might not be happy about how Ame reacted to all of this, though… But my whole goal here is to make people see Yokai Academy through a normal human's point of view, besides Tsukune's. And, well, if you saw a monster beating the crap out of another monster right in front of you, the one doing the beating being extremely dangerous and possibly harmful to you health, how would you react? xD I know I'd be terrified, but fascinated at the same time…

And about the zombies… I know that they are portrayed as walking, functioning bodies in Akihisa Ikeda's version, but mine's are a little bit different than his. My zombies can't exactly function properly, since their soul is not returned to their body, but trapped. Kinda different, if you think about it… (Yes, very confusing Dx)

Well, that's basically it. So, see you guys in the next chapter! Happy reading, everyone~

― ACookieZ


	6. Chapter 6: Answers

**Angel vs. Demon**

Chapter 6 – Answers

"You must be wondering how Kiseki is related to me," Moka began. "This is all too coincidental, I'm sure, but there's actually a story behind it. I'd like to explain while you finish up your lunch, you guys, if Kiseki doesn't mind." She shot a glance in Kiseki's direction.

"No, go ahead." He took a sip of whatever he was drinking. Something red? Possibly cranberry juice or whatever.

"It was actually a miracle that Kiseki was born, since my father has only ever had daughters. That's why we named him "miracle", really. Since we don't have the same mom, Kiseki's my step-brother."

Moka didn't really seem bothered by the fact that her dad had more than one wife. It wasn't my business, though. I didn't even know if her dad's had a divorce or not.

Afterwards, Moka began talking about the school to me. Kurumu, Yukari, and Tsukune occasionally joined in and added a few words here and there. As far as I could tell, Moka and Tsukune didn't seem too hateful or mean or anything like that. I didn't feel intimidated around them… I guess I had been wrong. The stupid monster's reaction towards these two people had probably affected me negatively, and I felt kind of bad that I had judged Moka and Tsukune's characters so quick.

A few minutes later, we were ready to go. I felt kind of excited, really, after hearing Moka and the others talk. Yokai Academy seemed to be such an interesting school, and to think that I was an actual student attending it… That just really blew my mind. There were other things too, though, that blew my mind…

… like the fact that all of the students here are monsters.

I still couldn't wrap my mind around that. I predicted that it was just going to be worse as we toured the school; nothing was going to change for me. My mind would just be more boggled than it is.

"Here's our library," Yukari skipped ahead, opening the large double doors. "It's my favorite place, naturally… I love it!"

I couldn't help but smile. I loved how intelligent Yukari was, even when she was so much younger than the rest of us. Trust me; although I didn't know her for that long yet, she had proved beyond a doubt that she was a genius. It really shocked me, though. She was so smart, but also so innocent at the same time… It really made one wonder.

We visited the gymnasium, the academic buildings, and many other places. Kurumu even showed us some hidden areas at Yokai that provided private space for hiding things, among others. Yokai Academy was still so big, though, I was sure I could get lost in it.

"We're back," Tsukune announced. He had been pretty quiet throughout the whole tour, but he was so polite and friendly it didn't matter. From my point of view, it looked weird to see three girls hanging out with this quiet guy, but I could sense a strong relationship between them. I felt like they just _belonged_ all together, as friends.

It made me kind of envious, really. I didn't even know friends could be this close! Each girl in the group had their own personality. I hate to be a judge of character, but these girls just shocked me. Moka was just the sweetest girl ever, with her bright aura and beautiful figure. I had noticed that there was a cross on her neck, though… it was on a collar that was strapped around her neck. I didn't know how she lugged that around, since it looked pretty heavy…

Kurumu, on the other hand, was more outgoing than Moka. She was friendly, of course, but she seemed to be overly-friendly to Tsukune, in my opinion. It was just really awkward for the rest of us… Since I was new here, though, I guess I wasn't used to everything yet; I just had to deal with all the changes. I knew I had to quickly adjust.

"Yup, we're back where we started." Kurumu grinned and led us back to our dorms. "I guess we'd have to all take a break now, huh?"

She looked at Garron, Kiseki, and I… the three newcomers.

"Hmm, we should all meet up some other time. I'll make sure to bring snacks, too. I'm great at making cookies." She winked, and headed to her dorm.

"Well, I hope you've all enjoyed your tour," Tsukune said, smiling at us. "It's a pretty big school… If you guys have any problems, don't hesitate to ask us for help."

"Yeah," Moka added, "Here's our dorm numbers… Kiseki already knows mine, of course. Any friends of Kiseki's are a friend of mine. It was so great meeting the both of you…!"

"Who said they were my friends?" Kiseki snapped. I flinched, and felt my disturbance bubbling up. If we weren't friends, were we enemies? I certainly didn't want to be Kiseki's enemy. If I was, my life would be at stake.

Garron, however, laughed good-naturedly. "Kiseki, don't be like that! It's alright with me if you don't see us as comrades, but at least we're on good terms, right?"

Kiseki looked away. I got the feeling he was more complicated than I thought.

On the way back to our dorms, Kiseki took the long way around. Garron had branch off earlier, so I was walking back all by myself. I didn't mind, really; it was great to have some peace and quiet after the tour. I had so many things to sort out in my head ―

_Rustle, rustle._

My breathing stopped, and I froze. I didn't dare move. I wasn't usually this paranoid, but ever since I've come to Yokai Academy, I was just so hyper-aware of everything. You couldn't blame me, really… I've nearly been killed two times today, and anything could happen just about now.

I slowly rotated where I was, looking three hundred and sixty degrees around me. At around two hundred degrees, I spotted a pair of pale eyes looking out from the bushes. Looking at them made me feel cold… It wasn't an unpleasant feeling. I just felt that I should have grabbed an extra sweater or something.

"Who… who're you?" I called out, testing my bravery. My voice didn't crack, thank goodness. It usually didn't, but I didn't trust myself as well as I did before. Coming here changed everything.

"… You can't see me," a voice whispered. I assumed it belonged to those pair of eyes, because they felt the same: gentle and soft, but able to make you shiver.

Now, though, I was confused. "Why can't I see you?"

The figure stepped out from the shadows, and I finally saw her. She had short, spiky hair, and was wearing a baggy top with the school skirt. I've never seen her before, but I didn't feel too alarmed. I felt that she was more similar to Moka and the others than the other monster Kiseki had beaten up; she wasn't malicious.

"I was trying to blend in," she explained. "But who're you? I saw you with Tsukune and the others…"

I felt a new wave of shiver run down my back. "You saw us? You were following…?"

She didn't hesitate to answer. "I wouldn't call it following, exactly…"

"Well, Moka and the others just gave me and two other students a tour of the school, actually." It felt weird conversing with this girl. She seemed okay, but it was really awkward around her. I didn't even know her, yet she seemed to know me already.

"Oh, I see…" She took out a lollipop and stuck it in her mouth. "That's alright, then."

She was a stranger to me, but I got the feeling that she wasn't to Moka, Tsukune, Kurumu, or Yukari. She seemed to know them. I got the feeling she was asking me this because she felt protective of them or something.

Was she also a good friend of theirs…? I couldn't tell.

"Well, it was nice meeting you," I said, trying to be polite. "On that note… I'll be getting back to my dorm, then."

"Me too…" She disappeared back into the shadows, and I couldn't see her anymore. I still felt her staring at me as I walked back to my dorm, however. The girl had those penetrating stares that one could just _feel_.

Right after I entered my room, Midnight jumped on me. She had been stuck here all day, and I was sorry about that… but I didn't want her to be anywhere dangerous. I missed her so much, though. School was starting in like a few days, and it was nerve-wracking. The one good thing that I could count on was Midnight, and Kiseki's step-sister and her friends… and Kiseki and Garron, of course. I hoped we could all get along. It might sound impossible, of course. From what I heard, one of the school rules was that one could not reveal one's monster identity/true form to another.

That would make it so hard for me. I mean, if I didn't know what kind of monster they were, how the hell was I supposed to protect myself? The stupid accessories that Maria and Lucy gave me were crap… they haven't been doing a thing. I should have bought garlic, crosses, and silver bullets or something instead…

Ah, this is so frustrating…!

Midnight, as comforting as always, curled up on my belly and purred. Amidst the comforting weight, the warmth, and the purring, I started to drift off…

* * *

><p>"<em>Ame… Ame…!"<em>

_Who was calling me…? This voice sounds familiar… yet I can't tell if it's male or female…_

"_Ame… I found you." The voice was just a whisper, a waft of wind beside my ear._

_I tried to call back, to ask who this person was, but my voice wouldn't work. I was in a sea of darkness, surrounded by nothing but blackness. I don't even think I was connected to my body. I felt like my spirit was trapped in this infinite chasm, and my physical body was somewhere else… somewhere else…?_

"_Ame… don't be confused… listen to me."_

_What…? Who did this person want?_

"_Put on the earring! The one that you have… the one that will help you…"_

_Did this person mean the demon earring…? I haven't touched it since the day Lucy left… It's still locked up inside my earring box… I had emptied out everything just to keep it in there, away from me…_

"_Ame, please… Do it…"_

_No…_

"_Ame…! Do it!" The voice became more forceful, and I almost gasped. I recognized this voice. Who did it belong to…?_

"_Ame…" The voice sounded tired and worn out... "Even if you don't listen to me… remember…"_

_Remember what?_

"_You belong to me… I will find you again."_

* * *

><p>I woke up, gasping, my forehead covered in sweat. I bolted up and covered myself with my bed sheets, waking Midnight up and making her fall off my bed, scaring the crap out of her.<p>

I usually couldn't remember my dreams… but this one just burned itself into my brain. I felt like I wouldn't forget it even if my life depended on it.

I couldn't take this anymore. I had to go somewhere else, and get away from here. Getting up, I patted the wrinkles down on my uniform and snuck out of my dorm. I didn't know where to go, though. Even though I just went on a tour of this school, I still felt just as clueless as before. So instead of walking with a purpose and a clear destination in my head, I wandered off farther and farther away from central campus…

I don't want to sound like a weirdo or an idiot, but I wanted to explore a bit more. Yes, this school is dangerous as hell, but it was intriguing at the same time.

_No, don't do it! _

I could almost hear myself arguing with myself. This conscience with better instinct and judgment sent up flashing signals in my head, and I actually felt a physical warning going on in my brain. I literally had a sinking feeling in my stomach, and my gut was telling me not to go.

_You're going to get yourself in trouble again! There will be no Kiseki around to save you this time!_

_What the hell,_ I thought. _It's not like it's going to get any better inside my dorm. _

Trudging forward, I ducked under branches and tree trunks and stepped over broken tombstones and footprints twice as big as normal human feet. This didn't stop me from going further into the forest, though. It didn't get extremely dark yet, and I was good with directions; I knew how to get back.

I saw a dark shape up ahead, and my breath caught in my throat. I felt oddly excited, for some weird reason. See, these experiences were so much better than staying inside my dorm and letting my nightmare get to me.

The shape was stout, and had a head-like shape poking out from it. It made a whimpering noise, and a sucking sound.

_What is this? _I thought.

_See?_ I could almost hear the snobby, goody-goody, I-know-better voice responding in my head. _I warned you that it was a bad idea!_

_Shut up,_ I told it. I slowly creped forward, while trying to stay inconspicuous.

The shape spun around. I held my breath and stood as still as a statue, but I knew it was no use. The thing had seen me.

_Crap,_ I thought, closing my eyes. _Kiseki, where are you when I need you…?_

"Ame? Is that you?"

Yeah, no such luck. It wasn't Kiseki calling my name.

However, it was someone much better.

"Garron?" I exclaimed, my eyes opening.

The shape stood up, and I could see that it was Garron's figure. His feet scuffled at something on the ground, like he was trying to get rid of some evidence. Figures.

"What are you doing here?" he demanded angrily, heading towards me.

"I should be asking you that," I laughed nervosly, trying to sound like I wasn't freaked out and extremely curious. "No, I just got bored. I decided to come out for some fresh air, you know?"

"Yeah, I know. I came out for the same reason, actually." He smiled at me, and suddenly everything seemed to be alright again.

_There's something weird going on,_ that overly-cautious voice said again. _Don't trust – _

"Shall I walk you back to your dorm, then?" Garron asked. "It's getting quite dark. I'm afraid you might get raped."

I gaped at him. "You _are_ joking, aren't you?"

Garron laughed. "You take everything so seriously! It's hilarious."

I glared at him, but followed him back anyways. I didn't need his help, of course. I know self-defense (kind of), and I was excellent with directions. Whatever, though. Garron was such a gentleman; it was hard to refuse him.

"So…" I tried to start a conversation. "What were you doing back there, for real?"

Yeah, so much for not going straight to the point.

"Me?" Garron shrugged. "Like I told you, I was getting some fresh air. I was doing what you said you were doing, remember?"

"Yeah? That didn't seem like it." I shook my head. "I don't want to butt into you business, but…"

"You _are_ butting into my business."

I was stunned. I had never seen Garron act so gruff before, and so… so Kiseki-like. Even in the short little while that I had known him, he was always polite.

"I'm sorry," I murmured, feeling like he had slapped me in the face. This was weird… I didn't give this reaction to Kiseki or anyone else who was being harsh to me before. Yet I felt compelled to apologize to Garron. He was usually so nice, though, I guess it was only fair.

Garron saw the dozens of emotions flitting across my face as I went over those thoughts, and he sighed deeply.

"Look, I'm sorry, Ame. I'm just feeling kind of off right now. I'm hungry, and―"

"You're hungry?" I asked, eyebrow raised. "What does that have to do with anything?"

"Guys get crabby when they're hungry, right?" He said it like it explained everything. "I didn't eat much at lunch since I was getting food for you guys. I don't like the food here, anyway."

"Oh… You got a thing against cafeteria food, huh? Makes sense… most people do."

"Yeah, something like that." Garron raked his hand through his blond hair. "So… we still friends?"

I grinned. "Yup."

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong>

Hello, people!

So in this chapter, Mizore finally makes her debut~! She is an amazing character, in my opinion. It was great for Ame to be able to meet her like this, one-on-one. Any other way would not suit Mizore's character, haha...

Tsukune and Moka (and the others), as you might have noticed, aren't really close with my OC's yet. They mostly help out because of Kiseki. I'm sure our characters will get along later on, though… because Moka/Tsukune/Kurumu/Yukari/Mizore are just that amazing. ;D

And about Garron… don't worry, he wasn't doing anything bad. He wasn't doing drugs, either, although it might sound like he did. xD No… he was just being himself. You'll find out why much later, though.

P.S.

Right now, Kiseki might not seem so nice. Compared to Garron, he's the grumpy, gruff, "bah-humbug" type of guy. xD But please, think about it this way: You know how in mangas and animes, there always has to be the snobby, cool, I-don't-give-a-damn guy character? Sometimes he's a jerk. Usually, there's also the "nice guy" in comparison. It's the same deal here~!

Really, I'm not writing a story… I'm just trying to portray a manga story into a written story form for you guys. Just think of this as a manga being written out, and it will all make sense ;)

― ACookieZ


	7. Chapter 7: Homeroom Teacher

**Angel vs. Demon**

Chapter 7 – Homeroom Teacher

Something wet nudged my nose. What was that…?

"Meow~"

I opened my eyes, and Midnight was staring into them. She licked my cheek and then bounded off of my bed, heading towards her water bowl. I didn't get the water bowl for her, though… it was Ruby who did. She had taken a real liking to Midnight; just yesterday she came in with a bunch of supplies for her.

I was glad, though. At least Midnight had made a friend here at Yokai Academy.

Speaking of Yokai Academy…

"Oh no…" I leaped out of bed, and stared at my alarm clock. I remembered clearly that I had set it for 6:30… and I had. I had set it at 6:30 at _night_.

"I hope I'm not late, even for breakfast…" I muttered. It was almost 8:00. This was my first day of school! Living on school campus really made it hard for one to come up with a good excuse for not being on time. Everyone was practically _living_ with each other.

I quickly grabbed my uniform and darted into the washroom. Changing as quickly as I could, I brushed my teeth and my hair, and got ready to go. I didn't think I could afford to miss breakfast, though; my stomach felt so empty, I was scared I might faint during class or something. I wasn't anemic, though (I'm usually quite tough, if I do say so myself), but who knows… I doubt everything now that I've come to Yokai Academy.

"Ame, hi! Good morning." I saw Garron on the way to the cafeteria. He was just walking back from the woods, and he waved at me enthusiastically.

"Garron!" I smiled. We could be late together, then.

"Why are you here…? Are you late too?" I asked him as he joined me.

"Oh, no… I'm just taking my time." He winked at me. "I like to be alone when I eat… It's more comfortable. So I'm a bit late, usually."

"I see… Oh! Do you know which class we're in? I don't really know, and I'd have to go and check the announcement board and stuff…"

"Lucky us, we're in the same class together! Kiseki, too. Moka and Tsukune and the others are in another homeroom, though… They've been here longer than us, so I guess they get the same homeroom teacher."

"Who's their homeroom teacher?" I asked. I didn't know any of the teachers here at Yokai Academy yet, but I could start by learning their names.

"A woman called Ms. Nekonome… I'm not sure. I think she's a cat-woman or something."

I almost laughed. "What? A cat woman?" Although I liked cats myself, I wasn't sure what Garron meant. Was she one of those crazy cat ladies who lives with a hundred black cats, or was she,..

"Yeah… weird, I know. She has a tail and everything."

Ah, I see. A cat-woman, literally. I should have expected that, being at Yokai Academy and all.

"Our homeroom teacher is a woman as well," Garron continued, looking intently at my expression. "She's… new. I'm not sure what she is." Garron looked away, then glanced sideways at me.

"Oh," was all I said.

"Ame, Garron… Aren't you late?"

I looked up to see Ruby sweeping near the steps of the cafeteria.

"Good morning, Ruby… Ah, yeah, we are kind of late right now," I answered. "I was just thinking of getting something to eat before class started."

"Well, the cafeteria's closed right now…" Ruby frowned, and then rummaged around through her bag. She took out a package of something and tossed it to me.

"Here," she said. "Pastry bread. I was keeping it just in case a few hungry students, you know…"

"Aw, thank you, Ruby!" I smiled at her and quickly hurried on my way to the academic buildings. Garron followed swiftly.

"Garron, you want some?" I held out a piece of the bread to him, but he shook his head.

"I'm not hungry," he replied. "And even if I were, I wouldn't eat that kind of stuff."

I shrugged, and we went into the building. We were just in time for the bell, it turned out. Garron and I both collapsed into our seats, out of breath. A bunch of students looked at us funny. I blushed. A boy and girl, coming into class late together and breathing funny? That could cause quite a few people to over-think some things…

"Ms. Kanmuri…" The homeroom teacher up at the front, facing the chalkboard, pronounced my name with disapproval. "You are late today."

"I'm sorry, I..." The words stopped coming out of my mouth as soon as the teacher spun around to face me.

"Is there anything you have to say?" she asked sweetly. My jaw dropped open, and I didn't have anything to say just then.

This new homeroom teacher of mine… she was Lucy. _The_ Lucy, from in my room! She had followed me here. She's come here to haunt me.

"Well, it sure isn't polite being late on the first day of class, is it?" she chided. To others, it probably seemed light and teacher-like… I, however, knew her true face. She wasn't like this to be because she wanted to be a good, caring teacher; she probably didn't even care whether I came to class or not.

I suddenly wanted to be anywhere but here. This… this was life-threatening! Lucy had vowed she would get revenge on me, but I never thought it'd be this soon… I didn't think she'd go this far just to catch me.

"Hold on a second," Kiseki raised his hand. "Ms. de Mone, Ame made it in class just in time. The bell rang as soon as she sat in her seat. And also… Garron was late as well, was he not?"

My eyes widened. Had Kiseki just stood up for me? Really? This was a day to be recorded on everyone's calendars. For once, though, I felt thankful for Kiseki's rashness and frankness…

"Mr. Shuzen, I didn't ask for your opinion…" Lucy gritted her teeth, though, and let it slide. She didn't bug me again during homeroom. Garron shot an apologetic look at me while she was lecturing, but I didn't get why. Did he think it was his fault that I was late? It could be, but I certainly didn't blame him… After all, he wouldn't know what Lucy was capable of.

_Seriously, though…_ I thought to myself. _Ms. de Mone? Who is she kidding? _

Despite my unsettling nerves, I shook my head sadly. She couldn't even think of a good enough last name, huh? Ms. de Mone… Ms. Demon. She truly was a demon, really. Just thinking of having her as my homeroom teacher for the rest of the year made me… I don't know. I wanted to crawl into a hole somewhere. Compared to Lucy, the cat-lady teacher suddenly seemed like a much better option.

Ms. de Mone started lecturing the class and welcoming new students… you know, the usual. I've heard most of it from the Headmaster, so I just stared into space most of the time she was talking. I couldn't help but worry, though…

After homeroom, I caught up with Kiseki.

"Thanks for saving me back there," I told him, grinning slightly. "The teacher was right, really… I didn't have much to say."

"No problem," Kiseki answered. "She was just picking on you… I wonder, though. It seems like you two go way back, somehow. Do you know each other?"

I gulped. I couldn't tell Kiseki about this, could I? No, I couldn't… If I did, I'd have to tell him about the "powerful" accessories and the angel and everything. Somehow, I felt that this was something I had to keep to myself.

"No," I lied, trying to act surprised. "I never saw her before today. I guess she's not a morning person…?"

"Huh."

"Ame!" Garron caught up to me from behind, and Kiseki immediately left. I felt the urge to call after him or something, but I knew I wouldn't have my way in this situation… It seemed like it was either one way or the other; either Kiseki was with me, or Garron was. The nice, easy-going friendship we had in the bus (I think… briefly…) seemed to evaporate.

I sighed. "What is it, Garron?"

"Well, I want to apologize… I think it's my fault for making you late. The teacher… Please don't bother yourself over her. She's just a ―"

"No, it's not your fault, Garron… It was my own fault for being late." I patted him on the shoulder. "Yeah, I guess the new teacher just doesn't like me. There are people like that in the world, you know… Where you just don't click with someone…"

"Yeah, I guess…"

Up ahead, I saw Moka and Tsukune and the others. Kurumu and Yukari were there, too, and someone else… I almost gasped. It was the girl I saw before, with the lollipop!

"Moka, Tsukune, Kurumu, Yukari… hi!" I ran up to them. "This… do you guys know her…?"

Moka tilted her head. "Oh, you mean Mizore? Of course we know her! She's our friend. We've known each other since we were freshmen."

"Oh, I see…"

"Hello, again…" Mizore crept out from behind Moka and the others and smiled at me timidly.

"Hi, Mizore…" I tried not to sound too awkward. I couldn't help it; our meeting was really awkward in the first place. "Nice to meet you."

"I'm sorry if I freaked you out before," Mizore said. "I heard from Moka and the others… So you're Kiseki's friend, right?"

I nodded. It seems like Mizore wasn't so creepy after all… she seemed to be a good person.

After the talk with Mizore, I continued with my classes. We had P.E. that day. All the girls went into the change rooms, and I followed. The girls and guys were separated for P.E., and I was kind of glad; I didn't know that the P.E. uniform shorts were so… short. It was kind of unsettling, really. I used to think this was against the school dress code.

"Alright, we're just going to do some light warm-ups today. It's back to school for all of you, and I'm sure you wouldn't want a marathon." The P.E. teacher, a gray-haired woman, blew her whistle.

"We're just going to stretch and do some laps today," she said. "Hurry, line up according to height and let's begin!"

P.E. was never my strongest subject, but I was fine with running. I was a fairly fast runner, back at my old school. Just as I settled into my starting position, the coach blew her whistle. Streaks and blurs of figures zoomed past me.

Ok… forget what I said about me being a fast runner.

Just who the hell _were _these people? They ran like there was no tomorrow. It didn't look natural at all! Alright, I might just be saying that because I couldn't run like them, but trust me, I sure tried. I even caught up with the slowest of the class, and was just about the pat the second-slowest when the coach blew her whistle and pointed at me.

"Hey, you!" she shouted. I didn't understand why she shouted. She was loud enough to be heard from the other end of the campus.

"You, the new student…" She jogged and caught up to me. "Are you trying to joke around? This is class! It counts towards your grade! Don't think just because you're new that you can slack around…"

"I-I…" I was confused. What did she mean? She said I was joking around… doing what? I wasn't making faces at her or tripping other students or anything…

The coach rolled her eyes. "I meant that you're too _slow_!"

I felt a pang of annoyance. I was never called "slow" back home. I didn't answer back, though. It was true; compared to the others, I _was _slow. I guess I'd just have to work double the amount I usually do.

I began flat-out sprinting.

"Yes, yes, that's right!" the coach shouted. I think she meant it to be encouraging, but her loud booming voice scared me. How could her vocal cords take it?

"Yeah, you need to be fast!" she screamed. "The faster, the better! If you aren't at the top of the pile, you're nothing!"

Whoa. Was this how the teachers taught students at Yokai Academy? The shock quickly wore off, though, and I didn't feel that bad about what she said… because I also thought it is true. Not in _my_ world, of course. I thought Coach's rules only apply in the monster world.

"C'mon, girls!" coach stood in the middle of the field, and clapped her hands together. "Faster, faster! Run thirty laps before the period is over!"

My jaw dropped open. Thirty laps?

"Faster!"

People zoomed past me, all in a blur. The girls who were way before me just made another round and went past me, again. I struggled to keep up.

"Faster_, faster_!"

I gritted my teeth. She wanted fast? She'll get it.

I held my breath, and ran like I never ran before. My feet barely touched the ground, and I could even feel my ears popping. My wrists burned, and I quickly realized that my bracelets were steaming.

I gasped, and then stumbled and quickly fell down on the grass.

The other girls in my class stared at me. I smiled and pretended to tie my shoelaces, while trying to cover up my bracelet. Coach didn't even realize I wasn't running anymore. She was too engrossed in shouting and blowing her whistle in the middle of the field.

Taking my time, I just crouched down and stared at my bracelets. This had never happened before. Strangely, though, I didn't feel worried… I felt exhilarated. I had never run that fast before in my life! As much as it might seem impossible, I thought these accessories had something to do with it.

"They're actually working, now!" I exclaimed quietly to myself. "They're not just some cheap knock-off…"

"Hey, new student!" the coach finally realized I was just crouching there. "What're you doing? Get your head back in the game!"

I smiled, feeling like I had accomplished something. I didn't even mind that Coach was screaming at me. I felt that I had become that much closer to the people around me… that I had caught up with them just a little bit.

"Coming, Coach!" I cried, and then quickly got up and joined the game.

That night, I stayed awake, just thinking about the day. I was sure I had many problems to deal with, and most of them are out of my control. Like the situation with Lucy... Ugh, I wasn't sure if I even _wanted_ to think about that. Instead, I decided to focus on something closer to me: my gifts.

I'd been thinking of them as "curses" before, but now I might just change my mind. They were magical, sure, and very powerful gifts... I just didn't know what to do with them. I've been wearing it up till now, all the time, every day. I didn't take it off even when I showered – I didn't dare. I've had them on since I first got them; I didn't know what would happen if I took them off.

I'll admit it; I tried experimenting on them for a few times. Just to be sure of everything, you know? Obviously, they were water-proof... or else something would have happened by now. I found out that they were also fire-proof (as a result of my dangling my bracelets near my stove), and heat-resistant.

What I didn't try to do was break them; I already know how that one was going to end. Lucy had broken my other angel earring, before, and I wasn't going to risk anything else. What really surprised me, though, were how it was fire-proof, water-proof, and all that, but it wasn't impact-resistant. How could this be...?

I didn't even try to go any deeper into it, though. Tired and worn out, I dozed off for a while, just before my alarm went off.

I yawned and got up. Time to go to class, again.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong>

Hello…!

So lots of things happened in this chapter… Kiseki became less of a jerk (although he is still stuck-up xP) and Lucy has become more of a stalker… Very interesting. And, finally, Ame even gets some power out of those accessories of hers! Until now, you probably thought they were pretty useless… hahaha. They're not just there to look pretty, though.

Moving on another subject… I can't help but worry with Ame about this new homeroom teacher of hers. I mean, can you imagine what Lucy would do to Ame, abusing her powers as a teacher? :O She will be much worse than Ms. Ririko… *tsk-tsk*

I promise I will try to make the rest of the chapters (on school & classes) more interesting. I mean, things were pretty interesting… until class started. I don't know about you guys, but writing about school-life seems so tedious… It's like you're reliving school all over again x(

Anyway, I'm sure school life at Yokai Academy will never be boring ;)

― ACookieZ


	8. Chapter 8: Stranger in the Woods

**Angel vs. Demon**

Chapter 8 – Stranger in the Woods

It went on like that for a couple of weeks. The same routine, the same people, the same lectures. Coach was still shouting, Kiseki was still being grumpy, Garron was still being courteous, and Moka and the others were still so distant. They like us, of course, but they had already set their friendship circle; there was no place for us to join in.

And it seems like Kiseki didn't even care. All he did all day was mope. I hung around him when I could, and tried to cheer him up and feed him something. Usually, though, I'm with Garron. He was always so fun to be around with, and it never got awkward with him. Garron… he's just the perfect kind of guy. There was no rejecting him.

I've also met tons of new people, from my classes and such. Most of them were really nice… except for a select few. By that, I meant a few of the badass, showing-off-their-muscles-and-making-girls-swoon guys, and the I'm-going-to-hit-on-and-flirt-with-Kiseki-or-Garron type of girls.

Those I really, really despised.

There was a diva in our class, though. She was a true drama-queen… Her name was Nina Nagisa, and she had this major-crush on Kiseki. It was sickening to watch, really. Garron was friendly with everyone, so the girls didn't feel the need to chase after him very hard. Kiseki, on the other hand… he was something else. He didn't let anyone get too close to him, especially the girls. I thought I was the only one he tolerated (taking in the fact that I make him snacks everyday, etc.).

One day, Nina just decided to approach Kiseki directly. It was during a free period; everyone turned to watch as Nina made her move.

"Kiseki… you know the project that's due next week? I think I'll need help with it." She twirled a long lock of hair around her finger flirtatiously, moving her hips side to side. "You're smart, right…? You can come over to my dorm room and help me with it!" Nina smiled then, baring all her teeth. "I'll treat you, too… I make excellent appetizers."

Kiseki closed his eyes and rubbed his temples as if he had aged several years, and I couldn't stifle the giggle that escaped my mouth. Kiseki glared at me, and I quickly shut up. It was hilarious, though, how Kiseki didn't know how to deal with things like this. He was handsome, well-rounded, and knowledgeable, but he didn't know how to deal with girls.

"First of all, I'm not that smart." Kiseki said. He leaned back in his chair, and everyone else leaned forward. "Secondly, I don't like appetizers… especially the ones that you make. Only Ame's food I tolerate."

He paused and glanced at me, and I smiled and gave him thumbs up. It might be kind of mean, but Nina would give up hope faster if he said it like that.

"Plus I don't go into girls' dorm rooms," he added, frowning at the thought. "Who knows what you're going to do to me?"

Nina gritted her teeth, and everyone in the class laughed. I felt bad for her, really. Kiseki was kind of harsh… but he was always like that, so I don't take it personally. I just hoped that Nina didn't either.

Nina walked off, followed by a few of her friends. Come to think of it, Nina was kind of popular. Not because of her intelligence or her kindness or anything like that, though… she only seemed to care about herself. I was scared of what she might do to Kiseki afterwards… It was kind of obvious that she was going to hold it against him.

After class, I met up with Kiseki.

"You know, that was kind of harsh." I sighed, passing him a can of tomato juice. For some weird reason, he really seemed to like them. I guess he was a healthy guy, drinking vegetables and stuff.

Kiseki shrugged. "She deserved it. It wasn't my fault she was being so annoying."

I frowned at him. He was my friend, of course (even if I was the only one that thought that), but sometimes I just really didn't get him. Why did he have to be such a jerk?

"Ok… well, I'll be going then." I got up to leave. "Class is starting."

"Right."

The rest of the day past by swiftly after that. During homeroom that morning, though, Ms. de Mone gave me some trouble… She asked me to stay after school with her to clean the chalkboard. A pretty normal request, I know, but I still worried. She was going to talk to me there, I knew it. But what is she going to say? What would _I_ say, to her?

Ah, this was all too confusing. I felt like my brain was going to blow up soon.

* * *

><p>After school, Kiseki waited for me outside the gate, like usual. We always walked back to our dorms together, now; it's become a habit. I wasn't sure if Kiseki was fine with it, personally, but after the incident where the monsters kept attacking me, he decided that it was safest to walk me back to my dorm. It totally made me feel like a burden. Ah yes, that was Kiseki… always trying to make others feel better about themselves.<p>

"Hey, Kiseki." I called as soon as I saw him. "Sorry, I can't walk back with you today… I've got to stay after school and clean something up."

"Is it for Ms. de Mone?" Kiseki asked.

"Ah, yes…"

"Then don't go," Kiseki promptly replied. "You know she's got a problem with you, right? Who knows what she's going to do with you after school!"

He was dead-on right. But what could I do about it?

"If I don't go, she'll just be even madder at me," I explained. "Better to get it over with, right? Besides, I can take care of myself."

Kiseki rolled his eyes. "Sure you can. Whatever. Go if you want. Just don't go calling for me again when you get into trouble again."

"Hmph." I walked off, turning my back to Kiseki. He could say what he wanted. I was definitely not going to get into trouble.

I hoped.

When I arrived at my homeroom door, it flew open without me even having to knock.

"I've been waiting for you, Ms. Kanmuri." Lucy perched on the edge of the table nearest to the chalkboard, her spidery legs dangling. "Don't make me have to do that again."

"Why are you here?" I suddenly snapped. I didn't mean to be rude (after all, she could kill me on the spot if she wanted to), but the question just popped out of my mouth. This was supposed to be my boarding school experience; did she just have to come and ruin it?

"My, my… have we forgotten who the teacher is, here?" Lucy's eyes narrowed. "I'll be the one asking the questions and doing the talking, Ame."

My fists clenched together. I tried to calm my anger down, though. I could feel my scalp prickling, and my tailbone was itching as well. It seemed like Lucy noticed it too.

"Now, don't go changing forms on me again, alright?" she said, rolling her eyes. "I don't want to have to deal with that crap again."

"I've got it under control," I answered, breathing through my nose heavily. That was a complete lie, though. I didn't know anything about my transformation, let alone how to stop it.

"Are you sure you've got it under control, dear?" Lucy leaned close to me, her voice dropping into a whisper. "You know, it should be working right now. The charm takes a few days to adjust, and you should be feeling the power soon. The question is, what are you going to do with it? Are you going to let it go to waste…?"

"Are you here to talk to me about this again?" I asked. I was getting impatient. She was even more annoying than my siblings. "If you are, I'm not interested."

"Watch what you say, honey. You don't want to make me angry. I just called you here today to warn you… it's getting on my nerves, you know. There's so much you can do with those powers you have, yet you don't know a single thing about it. I want to open your eyes a little, you know? I want to teach you some skills and tricks."

This was new. Lucy, volunteering to be my tutor?

"I think I know…" I replied. "I know enough not to listen to your lies."

I took a deep breath. "I don't want you to have anything to do with me anymore, Lucy. I mean, you already followed me here… what more do you want? I will accept you here as my teacher, but nothing more."

Lucy's eyes narrowed. "Well, whatever… it's your choice, I guess. Be careful, though. As you experience your powers more, the dreams will become more vivid… They'll come to you more often."

My heart almost stopped beating. How did she know about my dreams?

"Oh, I know, Ame." Lucy laughed. "Don't try to hide if from me. And it will only get worse."

I couldn't let it. I had to figure out a way to stop it… I'd stop sleeping, if I have to. I would sleep with one eye open every night or something…

"And taking off the bracelet and earring won't help, either, if you're thinking of doing that." Lucy flipped her hand over to study her nails. "Without it, you won't survive."

"I know that," I replied. I tried to comfort myself by this over and over again in my head: _Even if they do get worse, they're just dreams, Ame… They won't hurt you. They won't hurt you…_

"Well, I don't want to waste my time anymore," Lucy announced. "That's it for today. I'll clean the chalkboard by myself. You can go and fret over our conversation back in you dorm, ok? See you."

As I turned to go, Lucy bent down and whispered in my ear: "And… sweet dreams."

* * *

><p>I buried my face in Midnight's fur as soon as I came back to my room. I hated my life, I truly did. Why did this have to happen to me? And just when I thought that I was fitting in, too. I was getting used to Yokai Academy and stuff…<p>

"Mrow…"

"Yeah, I know, Midnight…" I sniffled. "We're going to be okay… I hope."

Midnight snuggled into the crook of my arm and purred. She always knew how to cheer me up. Tired and worn out from today, I closed my eyes and tried to sleep. My head became heavy on my pillow after I had dozed off for a couple of minutes.

A scream woke me up. As I jerked awake, I realized that Midnight was gone…

"Oh my God!" a female voice screamed. "There's a _cat_!"

"Oh no…" I groaned, and then dashed outside towards all the commotion. Damn, I must have forgotten to close the door tightly after I just came into my room and collapsed on my bed! Never underestimate cats. They could do the strangest things that you'd never thought would be possible.

The shouting, yelling, screaming and talking in the hallway continued, as more voice joined in. Seriously, though, for crying out loud… it was just a cat. It wasn't like it was a health hazard!

"Midnight! Midnight, come back…!"

Girls began coming out of their dorm rooms, all crowding around each other to see what was going on. Midnight, oblivious of everything, just kept charging forward. She reached the main floor and dashed outside.

I almost got frustrated enough to bang my head against a wall.

"Ugh, who is stupid enough to leave the main door open at a time like this?" I cried.

It was almost dark outside, and the sun was setting. I was good with directions, but I had horrible night vision.

"Midnight, please…" I begged, "Don't do this to me…!"

"Meow~"

I blinked and strained my eyes to catch where the noise was coming from. I tried to follow Midnight's meows, and locate her whereabouts. It seemed like she was going deeper and deeper into the forest.

Ah, that crazy cat. I was having second thoughts about bringing her here.

Midnight finally stopped a few meters ahead of me. She started sniffing around a big black bundle on the ground.

"Midnight, stop!" I hissed. "What is that…? Come back – don't get close to it!"

Midnight, as expected, didn't listen to me. I had to go up to her and pick her up.

"Mrrrow…" My cat struggled against my hold and jumped back down, sniffing the black figure on the ground again.

Ok, now she was making me curious. I had to find out what it was.

Creeping closer, I saw that it was a person… a little boy, to be exact. He looked to be about my brother's age; around Yukari's age.

Now, as you might've wondered… what the hell was a little boy doing out here in the woods at night? Sleeping all curled up, no less.

The little boy had spiky, white hair, and they were all in his face. Trying not to wake him up (assuming he was sleeping and not, you know, _dead_ or anything else), I brushed the hair out of his face. He had a round face, but I couldn't tell what colors his eyes were. Looking away from his face, I almost fainted.

This kid had silver, floppy, _furry_ ears. Like animal ears! I knew I was at a monster academy and all, but this was my first time seeing… seeing anything like this. Midnight didn't seem to mind, though, as she was sniffing around him. Figures. They could relate, with the both of them having animal features.

"Ah, what am I going to do…?" I whined to myself. I was so frustrated, tears almost came to my eyes. What's funny, though, was that I usually didn't cry when I was sad; I only cried when I was frustrated or angry. It really pissed me off.

Like right now.

"Midnight, this is all your fault. Why did you have to come here and bring me to this… this person? What am I going to do with him?"

Suddenly, the boy groaned. He stirred slightly in his sleep.

"Please… no…" he sniffed, "Momma… don't leave me… I-I…"

My heart felt like it was breaking to pieces. I didn't think I was in my right state of mind. Was this little boy abandoned? Who would do such a thing? Let alone leave him out here in the woods…

"I have to take him somewhere safe," I whispered out loud to myself. I didn't know what came over me. I think it was due to the fact that I had to take care of all my little siblings… this older-sister protectiveness just planted itself in me.

I had to move him, though; that was a must. He couldn't stay here all alone by himself, out here in the woods. Before I tried to pick him up, though, I investigated a little further by studying his clothes and any belongings that he had, just to make sure of everything.

It turned out that he didn't own anything except for the clothes on his back. He didn't even have shoes, the poor kid. His feet were bare, and he only had on a thin shirt with a jacket, and well-worn jeans. Crawling to the other side of him, I saw something that glittered. It caught my eye.

Peering closer, I realized that it was a chain-like dog-tag around his neck. He had one hand clutched around it tightly, like he wouldn't let it go even if his life depended on it.

Other than that dog tag and his clothes, the boy didn't seem to own anything.

"Well, Midnight, stop staring at him and come along," I said to my cat, while flipping the boy over on his back. I then grabbed him under his arms and began dragging him towards the school campus. Midnight bounded after me.

As my brain finally began to function properly again, I laughed out loud at this scene. It probably looked like I was dragging a dead body somewhere to bury it! This was crazy! Shaking my head, I hoped nobody saw me doing this. I didn't even think this was legal, dragging an unconscious stranger into your school. But I had no other choice.

As I carried the boy out of the woods, I thought about the possibilities and all my options. I had to take it to another person, of course; someone that I could trust. I couldn't deal with this all by myself!

Garron and Kiseki… I didn't know. They were guys; they might not think the same way about this as I do. Plus Kiseki would just call me stupid again if I asked for his help. Another choice… Ruby. She was close to the Headmaster, though; I couldn't let him find out about this, so asking her for help was out of the question.

That only left Tsukune and his friends. Out of all of them, which one would I go to for help? Kurumu… she talks a lot. I wouldn't want this to be spread around the school. Yukari… she just didn't seem to be the type to handle this either. Mizore… she was too quiet, and I don't know her well enough to trust her with my situation.

So… Tsukune and Moka? Out of the two, Moka was the one that seemed the most sympathetic and caring; she would be able to listen to me and help me solve this. Besides, sneaking into a guy's dorm in the middle of the night was out of the question. So Moka was my only hope.

I clearly remembered Moka's room number on that day that she told me, so I headed that way. I was getting a little tired, too. This little guy was _heavy_. I was so glad when I finally made it to Moka's dorm!

I had to hide the body behind large pots of plants and under staircases, frequently, as students passed by. I had to make sure the stairs were empty and bystander-free when I dragged the boy up; in order to do that, I had to wait for it to get dark.

As I sat crouched down next to the little stranger I found in the woods, waiting for people to go to bed, I prayed that Moka wouldn't reject me completely and call security or something. I had nowhere else to go, and I needed someone to help me. Bringing him back to my dorm wasn't an option, either. What was I going to do by myself there, with this guy? How was I going to bring him back down? I needed another person there to bounce ideas off of, and to help me distract others or something if we needed to move him again.

Great… and I didn't even know when this guy was going to wake up.

Looking down at him again, he didn't seem to be injured. He just looked really worn out and tired. He even looked like he had cried, with his face tear-stained and blotchy. I didn't know who he was, but I had already made up my mind to help him. He seemed so lonely and abandoned out there in the woods… my heart reached out to him.

Before I knew it, lights dimmed. People started shutting their doors and going to bed. Looking around once more just to check for stray witnesses, I slowly made my way upstairs to Moka's room, while carefully dragging the boy behind me.

Moka's room was near the middle of the hallway. Once I stopped before it, I gathered up my courage and knocked on the door.

To my relief, Moka's voice replied on the other side.

"Who is it…?" she asked. Moka's eyes widened as she opened the door and saw me.

"Ame? What's up? Why are you here so late…?"

I gulped, and stepped aside to reveal the little white-haired boy.

Moka gasped.

"Please, please, Moka…" I whispered, clasping my hands together in a praying position. "I need your help. I didn't know who else to go to! Please let us in and I'll explain everything… please…"

Moka looked surprised and slightly confused, but she nodded and let me in. After I had carried the boy inside, Midnight slipped in as well. She seemed to have felt the seriousness of the whole situation; she didn't make a noise.

Once we were all inside, Moka closed the curtains and checked outside in the hallway once more to make sure that nobody was there, eavesdropping on us. She then came back and settled on her bed, while I collapsed into her soft cushiony chair. I had settled the boy onto Moka's carpet in the middle of her bedroom, and Midnight seemed content to just lie down beside him and sleep.

"Ok, now…" Moka said, hugging her knees with her arms. "You can tell me what happened."

I took a deep, shuddering breath. I only had this one opportunity to explain myself, and I didn't want to make any mistakes.

"Moka, it's like this…"

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong>

Hi guys~!

Ok, so yeah, you guys are probably thinking of stabbing me right now :( I can just hear all the people in front of their computer screens, screaming: "Too many OC's! Stop mass-producing them!" And I will! So none of you guys need to be bothered by it~

I promise this will be my last main OC. This character is special, though; he was introduced to me by one of my reviewers on FanFiction. So yeah, I dedicate this character (and give credit) to that person. This character was just too cute to refuse, and you will see why as the story progresses. I tried really hard to fit this little guy into my storyline, so I hope you all look forward to it x)

Don't lose faith in me now, guys… I promise I will bring the OC's around and focus more on the canon characters and less on my little OC drama. I just had to settle my characters in first, since they are new and all. Still… If you lose hope in me, I might lose hope myself… :(

Well, that's that I guess. Other than the new OC (ugh, it feels wrong just saying that xD) and the bothersome Ms. de Mone, there's nothing new.

See you all in the next chapter…!

― ACookieZ


	9. Chapter 9: Kenta

**Angel vs. Demon**

Chapter 9 – Kenta

"_Ame"… a voice called out to me. "Ame, are you there…?"_

_I grimaced and stirred slightly in my sleep. That voice was back… that dark, seductive voice._

"_What do you want?" I snapped in my head._

"_What do I want?" The voice chucked, sounding amused. "I want you, of course… No, to be correct, you are already mine…"_

"_I… don't belong to anyone." I replied with a hint of defiance. I was in control of myself better, this time, in my dream; although I was still trapped inside a dark, limitless chasm, at least I knew what was going on. I was clueless and befuddled the first time; this time, I was ready for whatever was coming._

"_Are you, now?" the voice echoed. "I would question that… Do you see, Ame?"_

"_See what?" I asked, confused. "There's nothing to see…"_

"_Precisely!" The voice sounded pleased. "There's blackness all around you. There's nothing to see… you have nothing… But, Ame, have you noticed? The darkness is closing in."_

_I felt my non-existent throat constrict in fear._

"_The empty blackness that surrounds you is slowly becoming tighter…"_

_My eyes darted around me, seeing nothing. I could feel it, however… that voice was right. The darkness seemed to take one step closer to me, from all sides; they were closing in._

"_N… no…" I whispered, frantically trying to run. Of course, it didn't work. Invisible chains seemed to lock me in place, although I didn't feel them. And even if they weren't there, I would still be running nowhere… the infinite blackness was closing in on me… I had nowhere to go…_

_It would all lead to nowhere._

"_It's getting closer…!"__ The voice said. "__The time will come…_My_time will come…"_

* * *

><p>I woke up, gasping. Again. Sweat poured down my face, and I blinked the cloudiness away from my eyes, trying to sit up.<p>

"You okay?" asked a voice.

I looked up from my blanket to see a face hovered in front of mine, just inches away from my face. Wide blue eyes stared back at me.

"Ah!" I gasped, scrambling backwards. "Who-who're… Where…?"

"Oh, Ame, you've woken up!" Moka appeared in the doorway, in an apron. "You sure slept for a long time…"

My eyes darted around the room, taking in everything. Memories from last night came flooding back to me. The boy in the woods… Me dragging him up to Moka's room… Me spilling my guts and telling Moka everything…

"Oh!" I cried, "The boy…!"

"That's me!" a perky little voice said. I focused on the blue-eyed figure in front of me, and blinked rapidly.

"I'm Kenta Masaki," the boy said, grinning at me.

"You… you woke up?" I asked, perplexed. "You're conscious? I thought… How… No, wait, _why_…?"

"Ame, here, have a cup of tea first… and take your time. Thank goodness it's Saturday today…" Moka handed me a cup of freshly brewed tea. "I hope you're feeling better. You almost passed out as soon as you hit the pillow, and you were mumbling a lot last night."

My eyebrow scrunched together. That didn't usually happen… Was I really that bad last night? I meant the dream and everything… I still remembered it vividly, but…

"This little boy here, on the other hand, woke up bright and early." Moka laughed, then continued. "He was all up in my face, too, when I woke up… and demanded to have breakfast."

"No, not really…!" Kenta blushed. "I just said I was _hungry_…"

"So you're all right, right?" I asked. "No injuries, no nothing…?"

"No, he's fine," Moka answered for him. "Just tired."

"Then why was he passed out in the woods?" I asked her, my eyes darting towards Kenta.

The room was suddenly very quiet. The little boy, so bubbly before, now cast his eyes downwards. I glanced at Moka quizzically.

"He told me everything, before you woke up," Moka whispered. "He… Just as you assumed, Ame, he was abandoned in the woods."

"By Momma," Kenta's whisper was barely audible. "She… she didn't want me anymore."

"Oh, no… I'm so sorry…!" I bit my lip, eyes tearing up a little.

_That makes sense now,_ I thought. _That's why he was calling out for his mother there in the woods…_

Kenta bowed his silver head and sniffled. He looked so sad… I couldn't help myself; I reached over and pulled him into a hug. I've done this so many times before, comforting all my siblings like this. He felt like just another brother to me. I was sure I had some more room in my heart for this little guy.

Moka looked on kindly, slightly smiling. She then went back to the kitchen and continued with preparing breakfast.

"My momma, she used to try to ditch me many times before," Kenta said, fingering his dog tag. "She didn't want me anymore… I was a mistake child."

"Why do you say that?" I asked, frowning. How could he feel so unwanted?

"I'm a half demon," he explained. Oh well, there goes the school rules. "My father is a full dog demon, and Momma is a human. She didn't plan on having me… but she had nowhere to leave me. My dad left Mom as soon as he found out she was pregnant."

My stomach turned. "How awful…"

Kenta shrugged. "It's okay. I've never seen my dad's face, and Momma's never wanted me, but I don't hate them. They had it tough. Besides," Kenta added, showing me his dog tag, "Dad even left this for me before he left!"

I smiled, swallowing my tears. I get way too emotional sometimes. Ruffling Kenta's hair (and trying to avoid his ears), I thought to myself, _What a pure kid._

"Oh yeah," I cried suddenly, leaping up. "Midnight, my cat… I totally forgot about her when I crashed last night…! Where-"

"You mean her?" Kenta asked me, pointing over to the other side of the bedroom. Midnight was resting on someone's pillow, all curled up and blinking her big blue eyes at me.

"Midnight!" I cried, scooping her up and nuzzling her little head.

"I have to thank you, too…" I said aloud, bringing my nose close to Midnight's. "_You're_ the one that helped me find Kenta, after all!"

"Mrow~" she replied. If cats could look pleased with themselves, this one did.

"She's such a good creature," Kenta remarked, crawling over to me. "She stayed by my head all night long!"

"How did you know it's a she?" I asked curiously.

"Oh, you know," Kenta waved his hand, rendering my question as obvious. "Doggy senses…"

I blushed. "Oh."

One more thing I was curious about, though, but didn't bother to ask… How was Midnight so relaxed around Kenta? No offense to him, of course, but I thought dogs and cats clashed. Instead, Midnight seemed to adore Kenta.

"Well, everyone, breakfast!" Moka exclaimed, spinning into the room with a tray full of food.

"Yum!" Kenta cried, helping himself and taking a seat at the table. "Food!"

His little ears perked up and his tail, although hidden in his pants, could clearly be seen wagging.

Moka laughed, and I joined in. Kenta looked at us weird, like we were crazy, but Moka merely sighed, stroking his head.

We got an unexpected reaction.

Immediately, Kenta flinched and shrunk back. His ears flattened, and he looked uncomfortable.

"Kenta, what's wrong?" I asked him.

"It's embarrassing," he muttered. "Nobody touches my ears… not even my mom."

I started to giggle. This kid was adorable.

Moka looked relieved, and waved me over to join her at the dining table. We talked, ate, and just goofed off. Kenta seemed rather embarrassed most of the time, but I couldn't blame him. He was with two females (three, counting Midnight), locked in one small dorm room, being here against the school rules.

Wow. Now that I was sure everything that had happened last night happened for real, I couldn't help but think how crazy I was then. This poor kid… exactly what were we going to do with him?

It seemed like Moka thought of the same thing too.

"Well…" Moka said, looking at Kenta. "Should we go…?"

"Where?" Kenta asked curiously, wiping his face with Moka's tablecloth. Reaching over, Moka dabbed his face with a napkin instead. She then raised her head and looked at me.

"Um… yeah, it might not be a good idea to keep Kenta here forever," I agreed. "But… Kenta, where could you go?"

Once again, that sadness appeared in his eyes.

"I'm not sure," he murmured. "I don't have anywhere else to go. I mean, I could look for Momma, and go back to her once again, but…"

"You can?" I asked, surprised. "I thought…"

"Doggy senses," he said again. It seemed like that was his answer to all my questions. "I can track her scent and follow her back to where she lives, but I don't want to do that anymore. I think my powers scare her."

His eyes looked sorrowful, but then he quickly shook his head. It seemed like he was trying to be cheerful for us.

"Besides," he said, grinning, "I want to stay with you guys. Moka cooks the best food I've ever eaten!"

Moka laughed, delighted. I smiled, and then wondered what to do.

"We could bring him to the Headmaster…" Moka said, before I thought of anything.

"What?" I cried, aghast. "But that's just like giving him up for adoption! There's a reason I didn't bring him there in the first place, you know…"

"I know…" Moka began, sighing. "But we can't take care of this on our own. We're in school! If this was our home, I'd definitely let Kenta stay here. But…"

I sighed as well. "Yeah, you're right. Well then, Kenta, let's go shall we?"

Kenta looked a little scared, considering he didn't know anyone here. It almost did seem like we were giving him up for adoption… I tried to push that out of my mind.

After we cleaned up after ourselves and got ready, we snuck Kenta out of the girls' dorm and headed towards the Headmaster's office. If was funny, though, the way we performed it. We had Moka's tablecloth draped over Kenta's body, and he was sandwiched between us as we waddled out as quickly and as inconspicuously as possible.

On the way there, we saw Ruby carrying stacks of paperwork up the stairs.

"Oh, hey, guys!" she smiled, giving us a wave. "How's-"

Her eyes drifted away from us, and she noticed the giant floating tablecloth. We quickly tore the sheet off of Kenta.

"Who's he?" she asked, eyes widening.

"Well, you see, Ruby…" I tried my best to explain this in a way to not make us seem like pedophiles abducting a child. "We found him, Kenta Masaki, in the woods yesterday. He seemed to be… lost, and confused, and we brought him to the school with us."

"We're going to the Headmaster's right now, actually," Moka added, as if assuring Ruby that we weren't up to no good. "He might know what to do about this."

"Yes, you're right. I'll escort you!"

Together, we made our way there. Ruby knocked on the big wooden door, and it slowly creaked open. The Headmaster was seated at his desk, writing something down on a clipboard.

"Headmaster, Moka and Ame are here to see you," Ruby announced. "They've brought, ah, someone special."

The Headmaster raised his head, although we couldn't tell if he was looking at us or not, considering we couldn't see his eyes. It was rather unnerving.

"Ah, you've found him, yes?" he asked. I twitched uncontrollably. Just how did he know?

Moka seemed like she was used to his abnormal behaviors, though, as did Ruby.

Moka cleared her throat, and then spoke. "We want to look after him, Headmaster, but we thought we should go over it with you first."

"Hmm, right. Well, you found him, correct? He is under you care now. Although I can't exactly say that you two are unable to take care of him, he needs to be housed somewhere." He looked at Ruby. "Ruby, weren't you here because you were orphaned and homeless?"

Ruby looked slightly taken aback, but nodded. "And you let me work here, sir."

"Yes. The same thing shall be done with this little boy here. He will have to earn his keep, don't you agree? We can give him a little room in the attic somewhere."

Kenta tentatively raised his hand. I almost laughed.

"But, sir, I'm not good with heights…" he said, looking uncomfortable.

"Ah, I almost forgot that. I apologize… You should house in the spare room in the boys' dorm, then. It's near the ground floor, so it won't be too bad."

Kenta smiled gratefully. I was sure he was glad the Headmaster didn't kick him out of his school or something.

"Thank you, sir," he said, nodding his head. "I will work hard for my keep, I promise!"

The Headmaster smiled wryly. "Alright, that's done then. Have a good day, children. Be careful… and look after yourselves."

I shuddered as we left the office. Somehow, the bus driver and the Headmaster just gave me this weird, creepy feeling. Looking up, I saw Kenta bounding ahead towards the boys' dorm. We decided to accompany him there and introduce him to Tsukune and the boys, to make sure he was looked after.

As we neared the dorm, we could tell there was something wrong. A big commotion was going on in the boys' dorm, and there was yelling and frantic voices. When we approached the dorm door, Tsukune saw us through the window and burst through the door.

"You guys, something's wrong!" he said. Well, I guessed that much already. Tsukune rushed on, hardly noticing Kenta. "It seemed like there were some misunderstandings, and this guy claimed that Garron was murdering him or something. Kiseki is making everything worse, and…"

Moka and I rushed in, Kenta following us at our heels. It seemed that Garron and Kiseki were in trouble! I had to go help them…!

Pushing our way through the mob of boys, we made our way to the very center of it. A couple of guys pointed our way and stated, "Hey, girls aren't allowed in the guys' dorm!"

Like we gave a crap. Moka just wanted to help calm everything down, I'm sure, with her being so nice and peaceful and all. But me, I wanted to find Garron and Kiseki. They were my first friends at this school. Whatever trouble they were in, I could at least be of some use and help them out.

Up ahead, I saw Garron, Kiseki, and a couple of big, burly, and very intimidating guys.

I drew in a deep breath. This was going to be complicated.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong>

Hello again :)

Heheh, Kenta Masaki kinda owned the stage in this chapter… sorry about that. This heartwarming, special little boy won everyone over easily, including me, haha x3

Kenta really connects the OC's and the CC's, though, if you know what I mean. He brought them closer together, and they're all like one "big happy family" now (with their fair share of quarrels and drama), even more so than before… *sigh*

Hopefully you enjoyed this chapter! Comment/Review/ Fave if you did~ I've been getting lots of suggestions recently, so thank you for that. I'll try to accommodate everyone's' needs, but I can't please everyone -_-… I'm trying hard not to beat myself up for that. x(

Anyways, have fun reading the rest of the story! Let me know your thoughts on it so far :D

― ACookieZ


	10. Chapter 10: Garron's Secret

**Angel vs. Demon**

Chapter 10 – Garron's Secret

Garron was seated in a chair, his hair tousled and messed. He seemed to be distanced from everyone else and deep in thought, while the others around him were either making a commotion or looking on curiously. I was sure things like this didn't happen often, so everyone was just acting way too nosy.

Kiseki, on the other hand, just stood there, leaning against the wall with his arms folded across his chest. People started to question him once they couldn't get an answer out of Garron, but Kiseki was just making things worse rather than solving it (by, for example, snapping at nosy peers, saying that it was none of their business, or retorting that he didn't know). I sighed. Tsukune was right, sadly.

Kiseki and Garron both noticed me at the same time, although their reactions were different. Kiseki's eyes brightened and he seemed more relaxed and comfortable. He also seemed like he wanted to tell me something really badly, as he leaned forward and made a move to walk towards me. Garron saw me, and the look on his face… I couldn't describe it. He seemed terrified, like his worst nightmare has come true. The look in his eyes… he was hiding something, alright.

"Garron, Kiseki, what's going on?" I pushed my way past the people in the front, and I got a few glares, shoves, cusses, and whatnot. I ignored all that; this was more important right now.

"Ame!" Kiseki said, heading towards me. Garron immediately grabbed Kiseki from behind, shaking his head. A look of confusion spread across my face. Why didn't Garron trust me? I thought we were on good terms…

Garron seemed to be saying something to Kiseki, and while that was happening, I looked to the left and gasped. What I saw horrified me. The big, burly, muscular guys supported what seemed to be a sickly, weakened skeleton. He looked like he had the life drained out of him, but I could totally tell that he was once bigger and stronger than any of those guys behind him. What was left of his meager muscles showed plain through his skin, and his big angular bones jutted out. It was sickening to see.

Garron walked towards me, then, and grabbed my arm. Immediately the big guys behind him protested.

"Where do you think you're going, punk?"

"Yeah, look what you did to him!"

"Don't think you can get away with this…"

"C'mon, boys, we're going after him!"

Beads of sweat started to collect on my forehead. "Garron, where are we going? Who're these people…? How come-"

"Be quiet, Ame… no time to talk now." Garron pulled me out of the boys' dorm, quickly followed by our unhappy pursuers. We began to run.

Suddenly, a thought popped into my head. _Why me?_

"Garron, we can't just leave everyone else back there!" I exclaimed. "Moka and-"

"They'll be fine, because it's not them that the guys are after."

"What, then it's me? If it's not, then let go of me so I can go back and-"

"It's _me_," Garron said, exasperated. "_I'm_ the one they're after."

We stopped running, and he pulled me behind one of the buildings and we tried to catch our breath.

"So why am I involved in this?" I asked, totally confused. Not only did I feel bad about leaving everyone else behind… I didn't feel good, either, knowing I was singled out to accompany Garron on his escape. It felt like I was just tagging along… which was basically what I did.

"You have a vague idea of what happened, Ame, so I'm going to explain to you first. Things have gotten out of hand… and I can't involve everyone right now."

That made sense. Although I don't know what it was that I had an idea of.

"Remember the day that you saw me in the forest, taking a midnight stroll?"

"Yeah… I asked you what you were doing."

"Exactly. You probably were suspicious of me, weren't you…?"

I didn't want to admit it to him, but I nodded. Not only was I suspicious, I was curious too. And he hadn't given me a proper explanation at all for it.

"I… I was hunting that night," he said, and let out of whoosh of air. It seemed like he was admitting a great crime.

My eyebrows furrowed together as I echoed, "Hunting? Like, illegally?"

Garron rolled his eyes. "I meant I was eating, Ame."

I processed this. If he had to hunt to eat, then…

"You're a carnivore!" I exclaimed, proud of myself. It all made sense now. He never ate a full meal with us, he was always trying to eat alone, and he had to go hunt woodland animals to survive. I've heard of conditions like his before, sort of, and I thought they weren't completely healthy, but I would help Garron get through it. "You eat raw meat and stuff, right? Is that why you have to sneak into the woods at night to catch a rabbit or two?"

Garron looked at me incredulously, then threw back his head and laughed. I quickly clapped my hand over his mouth, afraid that his pursuers would hear him.

"No, Ame…" he mumbled, taking my hand off of his mouth. He didn't let go of it, though. He held it in both of his own. "What I do is worse than that. I don't eat animals' meat… Quite the contrary, actually; I kind of… take the life force out of them. I feed on that."

I couldn't help it; I took my hand back, shrinking away from him.

"Oh, come on, Ame, I won't hurt you." Garron took my hand back in his, and I didn't object this time. His hands were nice and warm… Was it just me, or did his skin seem to glow? He seemed to be radiant and full of life.

Garron noticed me staring at him, and chuckled. "Yes, I do look quite different, don't I? It's because of the life I've… _borrowed_ from that guy."

"That guy?" I asked, my throat going dry. Although he might've thought I was slow, I was starting to have an idea of what he was getting at.

Garron sighed. "Ame, please don't think badly of me after this… but yes, I did suck that guy's life. Well, part of it anyway. I didn't kill him, but his little friends were still mad at me."

"Garron, how could you do that?" I asked, shocked. He had just confirmed what I feared, in the worst possible way. He took the life of some random guy he didn't know, and almost killed him, and then he tells me not to think badly of him. _Think badly_? Was he kidding me? I was going to freak out on him and scream!

Garron seemed to notice I was freaking out.

"No, I didn't do it to him on purpose!" he defended himself, "I didn't have dinner that night, you know… and that guy was totally pissing me off."

"How?" I asked. Just what did that guy do to deserve such a fate?

"He was acting all tough and getting on my nerves."

"Ah, I see. That's totally a reason to almost kill someone." I said sarcastically. Garron was starting to act like Kiseki.

"Yes, indeed it is," Garron said with a very serious look on his face.

I frowned at him, and then decided not to say anything. Instead, I leaned around him and checked to see if the guys were gone.

"They're gone," I reported, straightening up. "We can leave now."

"Right," Garron said, and nodded. "Let's go."

We were on our way back to the dorm, taking the long way, when we bumped into Kenta, Kiseki, Tsukune, and Moka.

"Ame! Garron! What happened?" Tsukune asked, a worried look on his face. Kenta just glared at Garron, for some weird reason.

I looked at Garron. "He has told me the… "reason", I guess you could say, why he turned that guy into a skeleton."

Moka gasped. "_You_ did that, Garron?"

Garron gave me a look, and then sighed. "I'll explain everything, ok? Let's just settle down somewhere."

Garron led us towards the woods, much to everyone's surprise. We saw a large, dry log in the middle of a clearing, and Garron gestured for us to sit there. When we all settled down, Garron promptly closed his eyes. Turning his back to us, he took in a deep breath. Suddenly, he pounced on something, near the bushes. He made a wide leap through the air, arching his back like a graceful deer.

Garron resurfaced with a squirrel in his hands.

Most of his audience looked disgusted, but I looked astonished. Garron moved with such deadly, lethal grace… it took the breath out of me.

However, there was more to come. Garron looked at the squirrel, while it squeaked and struggled in his hands. I couldn't help but feel sorry for the squirrel; I loved animals, and I hated to see Garron do this to the poor thing.

Garron then closed his eyes and opened his mouth. Green, billowing smoke was released from the animal, and Garron sucked the smoke in, into his body. Moka looked shocked, and the weird choker on her neck glinted dangerously. Tsukune looked ready to puke, and Kenta just gaped at him. Before he could continue any more, I leaped up and knocked the squirrel out of Garron's hands. It landed on the forest floor, twitched for a few seconds, then scrambled to get up. The squirrel unsteadily ran away from us and disappeared into the bushes.

"Stop that," I told Garron sternly. "We get the idea."

Garron opened his eyes and blinked at me, and I staggered backwards in shock. His eyes were an ominous, billowing green… it seemed like the smoke from the squirrel was _inside_ of him, swirling around in his body.

Garron blinked a few more times, and then shook his head quickly. His eyes returned back to normal.

"G-Garron…" I whispered. I didn't know what to say.

"And _that's_ what I did to that skeleton guy." Garron said, looking down.

"Well, that's quite the talent," Moka said, struggling to smile. Tsukune gave a half-hearted laugh, while Kenta just simply stared at him, mouth agape.

Not knowing what else to do, I reached over and gave Garron a hug.

"Garron… it's ok." I murmured in condolence, patting him comfortingly on the back. "I know you didn't mean to do it to that guy… As long as you didn't kill him, it's nothing serious, right? I didn't know… you were hungry, weren't you? Aw, Garron, I'm sorry. It's ok; you didn't have to keep if from us!"

Garron had an incredulous look on his face. He just stared at me, his eyes wide open, like even he himself couldn't believe what I had just done.

"What…?" I asked, getting self-conscious and embarrassed. This was what I usually did for my siblings, when they peed the bed or committed a bad deed. None of them gave the look that Garron gave me now, though, and it made me really uncomfortable.

I heard Kiseki grit his teeth and leave. I was about to go after him, when Kenta got up and followed him instead. He didn't leave because of me, though. I could tell clearly from the look that he gave Garron what Kenta thought of him.

I sighed. Moka and Tsukune were the only ones left now.

The four of us walked back silently, not looking at each other. Just to make sure Garron didn't feel bad about himself, I gave his arm a little squeeze. He looked at me gratefully, still stunned that I had accepted him so quickly.

Moka's choker started to glow weirdly… it seemed like a red light was coming from within. Moka gave Tsukune a meaningful look, and Tsukune quickly turned to us.

"Well, um, guys… We gotta leave now. You're dorms are not far from here, so we won't walk you back…"

I could tell they wanted to get away and gossip or something. That was alright by me; they had done enough already, more than I could ask of them. I didn't want to trouble them any longer.

"That's fine," I said, nodding in understanding. "You guys go ahead!"

Moka smiled gratefully, and the two left towards the seniors' dorms. Garron separated from me when he got to his dorm, but not before giving me a hug.

"Thanks, Ame, for sticking with me," he said. "I just… wow. You don't know how much that means to me. Nobody's ever done that before. Everyone just thought of my power as evil, you know?"

I decided to be blunt. "Well, it kinda is. I mean, you're sucking the life force out of a living being… but still, I know you don't mean any harm in it, right?"

Garron didn't answer. Instead, he smiled dryly and headed towards his dorm, without giving me another backwards glance.

Sighing, I walked back to mine. And, surprise-surprise, waiting outside my dorm was none other than Kiseki.

"What did he say to you when he just took you and left?" he asked.

"Wow, Kiseki, not even a 'Hello, how you doing?' or 'Good to see you!'?" I asked, rolling my eyes.

"No, seriously, Ame… did he do anything to you?" Kiseki gritted his teeth. "Now that I know what he can do, I don't want you – well, _anyone_, for that matter – near him…"

I felt a little shocked. "How can you say that? Garron's our friend!"

"_Your_ friend," Kiseki corrected. "Not mine."

I felt so hurt by this. Kiseki could be such a jerk sometimes!

"You know what? Forget it." I walked past him and tried to enter my dorm. I got stopped, though; Kiseki reached out and gripped me by my arm.

"Promise me, Ame…" Kiseki whispered.

"What?" I asked, startled.

"Be careful, ok?"

With that, Kiseki walked off. I watched him as he disappeared into his dorm, feeling… I didn't know what I felt. Confused? Definitely. Shocked? Absolutely. But… there was this unexplainable feeling I felt after what Kiseki told me. I continued to feel it as I watched his retreating figure, getting smaller and smaller as he walked towards his dorm.

What he said didn't sound like him at all, though. Did Garron and Kiseki switch bodies, by any chance?

Shaking my head, I entered my dorm.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong>

Hey guys~

So yes, Garron must have seemed suspicious to you in the beginning. He's a gentleman and all, but he has his secrets. (Who doesn't?) Now, they are revealed! Taa-daa~ He was quite ashamed of his eating habit, mind you, so of course he didn't want to share it publicly. I hope this satisfied your questions as to why he was lurking around in the forest in the middle of the night. x)

It seems like nobody else (except for our crazy Ame) accepts it though. Although, I do wonder… would you guys accept it? A soul-sucking friend? That sounds crazy, honestly…

Speaking of a soul-sucking friend, though… If you've read Rosario + Vampire the manga series, I'm sure you've noticed that the mermaids in the first volume in Rosario + Vampire suck the youth/energy/life force of living things, too. Yeah, I know it's kinda similar, but Garron sucks the soul/essence of his victims, and… *sigh* you know what? Forget it. They sound exactly the same x( So much for creating original characters… haha, but no, all kidding aside, it was completely unintentional. Seriously.

Ok, I'll stop rambling! Sorry if I annoyed you guys… Oh, and look forward to the next chapter, please. It's a bit of a quarrel between everyone… you know how "families" are ;)

― ACookieZ


	11. Chapter 11: Pervert Alert!

**Angel vs. Demon**

Chapter 11 – Pervert Alert!

The next morning, I rushed to get ready. Yesterday was so hectic… I didn't even have to time to get Kenta settled in! We kind of just left him… Well, he left with Kiseki first. That thought, for whatever reason, made me uncomfortable. Was Kenta really so ready to leave with a stranger, and ditch me? Ignoring that fact, we didn't even introduce him to Mizore, Kurumu, or Yukari yet…

It was going to be another long day.

I quickly patted Midnight on the head and headed out, towards the cafeteria. They must be having breakfast, so I would meet them there.

When I arrived, breathless, at their table, I saw that everyone was seated accordingly in their spots… including Kenta.

"Oh…" I said, blinking. "So you guys-,"

"Yup, we already met the new kid," Kurumu said, winking at me. "He's absolutely adorable… is he not?" She laughed and flicked a piece of bacon at him playfully. Kenta, playing along, dove for it dramatically and caught it between his teeth.

I sat down, relieved, next to Kiseki. Garron was seated directly across from me. This was going to be easier than I thought… Kenta already seemed to be fitting in.

"Say, Kenta…" I said, frowning at him, "Why are you wearing at baseball cap inside?"

"Oh, this?" At the mention of his hat, he clutched it down securing over his head. "It's for protection," Kenta said, eyes narrowing at most of the girls in the cafeteria. "If I take it off…"

Yukari grinned, and then snatched the baseball cap off of his head. "Then _this_ happens!"

Immediately, Kenta's little doggie ears popped up, all fuzzy and cute. Kurumu squealed, reaching over and pulling at his little ears. Moka tried to restrain her, but couldn't help giggling at the poor boy. Even the usually quiet Mizore was patting Kenta on the head!

A few of the people in the cafeteria giggled and pointed over at Kenta. Yes, I understood now… Protection was needed for him.

After a while of teasing, Yukari finally gave Kenta his hat back. Kenta sighed, flustered and furious, but unable to do anything.

"But, Kenta, why can't your ears disappear? You aren't transformed right now, are you…?" Yukari asked, leaning towards him.

Kenta blushed a little and answered: "Well, um, my mother is human, you see? She's made of pure flesh and… other human stuff. So I can't really do anything about these ears; they're kind of attached to my body."

"Oh, I see…" Yukari nodded, as if the world started to make sense again. I couldn't help but smile. This girl was too intelligent for her own good… she wanted to get the bottom of everything.

After breakfast, we went and headed towards the forest. We had our day off today, since it was Sunday. Yes, homework was unavoidable, but I would work on mine later. Now that everything had calmed down, I wanted to just talk to everyone.

"By the way, Moka," I asked, turning towards her. "What happened yesterday? You suddenly had to leave with Tsukune, and your choker was acting all weird and stuff… I don't want to intrude or anything…!" I quickly added, seeing how Moka looked kind of startled, "But you know, if anything was wrong…"

Moka sighed, looking down at the cross on her choker. "Well, it's a long story…"

"Involves last year, too, and the year before that." Kurumu said, crossing her arms over her chest.

"We've got all day, right…? Kiseki, Garron, Kenta?" I asked, looking at them for support.

"Sure, whatever," Kiseki shrugged. Garron and Kenta, on the other hand, nodded enthusiastically.

"Getting to know each other would be great, don't you think?" he said. I smiled. I could always count in Garron for support.

So we sat down on the grass, in a circle, while Moka began her story. Tsukune told us about the school as he saw it, and Kurumu, Yukari, and Mizore (probably having heard this before and were slightly bored) intervened many times to add in a thing or two.

All in all, I was astonished. So many things had happened to them… words couldn't even begin to describe it. I felt slightly ashamed, knowing I was terrified at almost everything here at Yokai Academy, when these five people in front of me had gone through so much more. I now looked at Moka's rosario in a brand new light.

"You told it better the first time," Kiseki said, rolling his eyes at Moka.

"What?" I asked, looking back and forth at Kiseki and Moka. "Kiseki's heard this already?"

"Well, of course," Moka said. "He's my half-brother after all…"

"Is that why you didn't look so enthusiastic when I asked her to tell us?" I asked, raising an eyebrow at Kiseki.

"Duh," he said. "Why would I want to hear it again?"

"But you did," Garron pointed out.

"That's because Ame said she wanted to hear it," Kiseki said, keeping his facial expression carefully apathetic. Even though Kiseki was behaving like that, I still felt thankful inside. I didn't know why; it shouldn't matter what he thought, right? But we were friends, after all… I couldn't forget all those times when Kiseki saved my life.

"Thanks," I grinned, patting his arm. The corner of his mouth rose slightly.

"So, now you know everything," Kurumu said, looking expectantly at us. "What about… you?"

"You guys already know what happened to me," Kenta said, laughing sheepishly and scratching his head. "Well, you all had to, I guess, since I'm now your responsibility…"

Kenta made a face at what he said, and everyone laughed. Mizore, inching towards him, cautiously took off his baseball cap and scratched his ears. She probably didn't think it would be that big a deal, but everyone stared at her in surprise.

"What?" she asked, popping out her lollipop, "His ears are soft…"

Kenta sat up straighter, pressing his head against Mizore's hands. Honestly, he really was like a puppy. I smiled fondly at him, and was suddenly brought back to attention by Kurumu leaning over patting her hand on the grass in front of me.

"You, then!" she said. "C'mon, I wanna hear…!"

"Ok, well…" I felt everyone's eyes on me, and I shrunk back a little bit. I never enjoyed the spotlight, even when I was little, and this kind of intimidated me.

"It's fine, we're all friends here," Tsukune said, smiling at me. "After all… I can relate to whatever you're saying, right? I'm a human, too, don't forget that…"

I sighed in relief. "Yes, that's right…"

I told them what there was to tell, leaving out the insignificant parts of my life. I talked about the angel in my room, about the demon… and about my accessories. At once, Yukari crawled over and peered closely at my earring and bracelet.

"That's so interesting," she said, examining it. "It's like the exact opposite of what Moka's rosario and Tsukune's lock does… Instead of keeping your powers in check, it _gives_ you powers! That's so cool…!"

I pondered about it. I never thought of it that way… Of course, I didn't know that Moka's rosario or Tsukune's lock did such a thing, but it all made sense now. I wasn't the only one with a magical item…

"So then, if this Lucy person is the demon in your room," Garron said, "she's our homeroom teacher, correct? Ms. Lucy de Mone?"

"Unfortunately, yes," I said, grimacing. "She's given me lots of trouble already…"

During the past few weeks, she had deliberately ignored my raised hands, attempted to fail me in her class (even though she was only with me for homeroom), and asked me to stay after school to help her do manual labor and torture me. Those were a part of school now, though; I had gotten used to it.

"I'll deal with her!" Kenta cried, suddenly jumping up. "I'll bite her and stuff!"

I laughed, pulling Kenta down to sit. "Calm down, Kenta. It's alright; I can handle her."

Kenta looked at me dubiously, but did as I told him. As soon as he sat down, though, the bell rang.

"Shoot, that's the bell," Kurumu said, getting up. "Gin is going to be so mad at us for being late…"

"That's because he never does the work," Yukari said, rolling her eyes. "He always wants us to be on time so he can just sit back and look at perverted magazines."

I raised my eyebrows. This "Gin" guy didn't sound like a decent person…

"Who's Gin?" I asked, getting up and following them back to the school. "Is he a teacher?"

Everyone (well, except for Kiseki, Kenta, and Garron) looked at me incredulously, hesitating only a moment before bursting into laughter. Even Mizore cracked a smirk.

"What?" I asked, taken aback. "Is he not…?"

Mizore, to my surprise, was the first one to answer me. "If he was the teacher, then there would be no more female students left in the school – they'll all be running away and escaping. He'd abuse his powers and harass them all."

"We'd all have to wear pants, and it would no longer be safe for the girls' change room to have windows," Kurumu added, wiping her eyes dry from the tears of laughter.

"No, no…" Yukari objected, shaking her head. "Shouldn't it be like this? If Gin was a teacher, _he_ would be the one to be gone from this school… because all the girls would physically get their revenge on him and kick him out. There would be no more Gin!"

Everyone laughed again, and this time I joined in… in embarrassment. From what I'd heard, it seemed like Gin was a pervert. How could he be a teacher?

"No, but seriously," Moka said, turning to me, "he's a pervert and a molester… but he's our club leader."

"Club leader?" Garron repeated, before I could question the same thing.

"You see, each student has to join a club in this school," Tsukune explained. "There's different ones like Photography, Karate, Gaming, Event Planning, Cooking, and Swimming."

At the mention of "Swimming", for whatever reason, Moka's aura seemed to darken. I could almost see veins popping out of her forehead, as she struggled to maintain a smile. Truthfully, it looked more like a grimace.

Tsukune turned a few shades paler.

"Oh, hahaha, I hated swimming," he added quickly. "I tried joining that club before…"

"Speaking of that, what club are you all in?" Kiseki questioned, raising an eyebrow. I couldn't help but notice how perfectly shaped it was… I snapped myself back to attention. I was getting carried away.

"We're all in the Newspapers Club!" Moka said, her bright sparkling aura back again. "Gin's the main photographer of our club, although sometimes he uses his camera for other purposes…"

Kurumu snorted. "More like all the time."

"He takes pictures of the girls change room and stuff… when the girls are in there, changing." Yukari shook her head in disgust.

"Sounds good, huh? Maybe we should join him sometime?" Garron winked, nudging me in the side. I gaped at him, shocked that he would even suggest such a thing. Garron laughed and patted my head.

"I'm kidding," he said. "I love how you take everything so seriously!"

I scowled and turned my head away from him, only to find Kiseki frowning at him in disgust. I sighed. If I took things seriously, then Kiseki must've hated the world.

"Anyway," Moka said, "How about we take you to go meet him? You can see our club room, as well!"

"That sounds great," I replied, smiling.

"No," Kiseki suddenly objected. "That's _not_ great. That pervert is the club leader, right? Isn't he going to be there?"

"Yeah…" Tsukune answered, frowning in confusion. I didn't see where Kiseki was going with that either… He didn't even know Gin. How could he hate him so fast?

Kiseki saw my expression and sighed. "He's a pervert, Ame. And you're a girl."

My eyes widened. "Oh."

"That's real nice, Kiseki," Moka commented, rolling her eyes. "Just ignore the rest of the females."

Kiseki narrowed his eyes. "I can bet against you that Ame's more vulnerable. Besides, you've known Gin longer than the rest of us have, right? So I doubt he'd try anything on you. You'd all be used to it anyway."

Kurumu cleared her throat loudly. "Do you even want me to _start_ on what he does to me on a daily basis?"

I felt shocked. I didn't know Kurumu was going through such things! Annoyed, I thumped Kiseki on the back. He really did hate the world.

"Relax, Kiseki! I'll be fine. Don't worry."

"Still, I don't like the sound of this Gin guy."

Too late, though. We had already arrived at the door of the Newspapers Club room. A deep male voice spoke from behind it.

"What's that I hear?" the voice drawled. "Someone doesn't like me?"

Yukari rolled her eyes, opening the door. "Get over yourself, Gin."

Peeking into the classroom, my eyes came upon a very tall, buff, dark-haired man. He didn't look like a student; in fact, closer to my assumption before, he looked more like a teacher.

"Ah," he said, smiling and quickly getting up. "Who's this lovely young lady here?"

Moka laughed nervously, and Kurumu rolled her eyes. Before Gin could approach me, though, Garron and Kiseki slid across and set themselves on either side of me. Even Kenta stood protectively in front of me, holding up his little fists in a fighting stance. Gin's eyes widened slightly, taking them in. Kiseki and Garron were almost as big as he was.

I blushed, pushing them away from me. "Personal space, people."

Gin looked at me, putting a finger to his chin. I suddenly felt very vulnerable as his gaze traveled over me.

"Are you here to join the Newspaper Club?" he asked, smiling at me and showing his perfect teeth. I swore that light glinted off of them.

"Um…"

"No," Kiseki stated for me.

"What he said," I added.

Gin sighed, straightening up. "What a shame. The girls in my club are getting boring…"

"Hey!" Kurumu protested, smacking him on the head. "What was that?"

"Nothing," Gin replied, reaching out a hand to fondle her left boob. "You _never_ get boring!"

My jaw dropped open. Immediately, I backed away from Gin and hid myself behind Kiseki. What the hell was he doing? Shouldn't he be in trouble for this? This was… this was sexual harassment!

Kurumu looked like she was used to it, though. She closed her eyes in annoyance, her teeth grinding together. She picked up the nearest chair and raised it over her head. She was did what I thought she was going to do; she chased after Gin with it, swinging it around in front of her.

"Just your typical day here at the Newspaper Club," Tsukune said, shaking his head. I was secretly glad I was just starting my year here as a senior; I wouldn't have to join a club anymore, since it was probably too late to sign up for one. Probably. If I was lucky.

"Ame, since you're not going to join my club, can you at least help me with something before you leave?" Gin asked, nursing a bruise on his head. Most likely from Kurumu's attack. "I need you to help me clean the top of the chalkboard, over there."

He pointed towards the chalkboard, where the words "Welcome back to the Newspaper Club" were scribbled across the top of it. Gin gestured towards the chair below it, motioning for me to step up on it to wipe the words off.

"Sure…" I agreed slowly, walking towards the chair. I thought it was suspicious that Gin was suddenly asking me to help him, but I wasn't going to refuse. What would the harm be? I didn't really get why Gin would pick _me_ to help him, though; he was at least a head taller than me.

Suddenly, I heard a gasp behind me. Yukari rushed up to me, pulling me back.

"Don't listen to him," she told me, glaring at Gin. "He's trying to trick you."

Gin gasped, hurt. "Why would I do that? I'm a busy guy, you know… I'm tired from work. I just thought Ame would be kind enough to help me out."

"I don't mind," I told Yukari, assuring her.

"No, you don't get it," Moka began. She too started for me, but Gin pulled her back.

"Ame, he's trying to-"

"Moka! Even though you're a senior, I'm still the leader here! Don't be such a goody-goody, alright?" Gin rolled his eyes nonchalantly, slapping a hand over Moka's mouth.

I frowned, but walked up to the chair anyway. I had the same feeling I felt when I first saw the zombie hand at the beginning of the school year; I knew it was dangerous, but I was intrigued. I couldn't just leave the situation be! And even if Gin wanted to trick me, it wouldn't be that bad. He couldn't _hurt_ me, right? We were in school…

I hesitated a little bit, stepping onto the chair. On second thought… What he did to Kurumu, that was in school. I grimaced, suddenly wanting to get down.

"Boy, it's hot in here," Gin suddenly said, leaning against a fan. "You mind if I turn this on?"

"No," I replied, looking down at him warily. What was he going to do?

Yukari groaned, putting her face into her hands. Moka chewed her lip, and looked at me apologetically. They looked like they expected me to be angry or something… I didn't understand. Should I be?

Suddenly, fierce air whipped around the room. Gin had turned the fan on to the max, tilting it upwards…

I gasped. I was slow, but I finally understood what he was trying to do. Before I could react, though, the air blew my skirt up and the hem fluttered freely, leaving whatever was under my skirt for everyone to see.

I blushed furiously, brushing my skirt down. I turned to glare at Gin. So that was his plan all along… and I had fallen for it like an idiot. Ugh, I felt so stupid. I even had the urge to pick up a chair and chase after that pervert with it like Kurumu did.

The look on Gin's face, though… He had started to grin before, when he turned the fan on, but now the look fell flat off his face. He had on an expression of disbelief, mingled with a bit of astonishment.

"Do you not wear panties?" he asked, staring at me.

"What?" I cried, "No! I mean, no, I do! What- What do you mean?"

Kurumu suddenly doubled over with laughter, dropping onto the floor and pounding the ground with her fist. Yukari looked astonished, but grinned.

"Did you do that on purpose?" she asked me. "You're a genius…!"

Moka just smiled at me in relief. I was still so clueless… just what the hell was going on?

Before I could ask anyone, though, Kiseki suddenly appeared over the Gin's shoulder. He had pulled himself to his full height, glaring down at Gin while sparks crackled around him. His aura was dark and scary. Gin shuddered, slowly turning around.

"I'm not going to hurt you," Kiseki said slowly, stressing out each word, "because Ame will be upset. I don't care about anyone else, though, because I'm sure they'd be more than happy to help me bash your face in."

Gin laughed sheepishly, turning the fan off. "Gosh, don't take it so seriously, man! I didn't even get to _see_ her panties-"

"Well, of course not," I said, frowning. "I'm wearing shorts over them." They were really short shorts, yes, but I had to wear _something_ over my underwear. Even a mini-skirt was longer than the school uniform skirt!

Kurumu laughed harder, brushing tears away from her eyes. "Ame… you're a genius! The first one ever to trick Gin like this… You made him speechless! You're my new favorite person!"

My brows furrowed together, until I was sure there was going to be a permanent crease in between my eyebrows. "I didn't do it on purpose…! I mean, that's part of the school dress code, right, to cover up your underwear? What, no one else wears shorts? That's a little…"

Mizore suddenly popped up from behind a desk. "Nobody actually follows the school dress code, you know… I mean, look at me. I'm wearing a baggy top with stripped socks!"

I frowned. She was right… I'd also seen many other people not dressed accordingly, strolling around campus.

Gin was still stunned, and a little disheartened. Kiseki still wouldn't let go of him, though. He had grabbed Gin by the back of his uniform collar, and was glaring at the back of his head.

I jumped down from the chair, sighing. "Please, Kiseki, let him go. No one was hurt, right? There's no big deal!"

"_I_ was hurt," Gin said, hanging his head down.

"Dog," Kenta suddenly spat, looking at Gin in disgust. "No, you're not a dog… You're a disgrace to dogs!"

Gin's head snapped up. "Who's this little shorty?"

"Kenta, don't be rude!" I said, looking at him in shock. Kenta was usually so well-behaved…

"No, Ame, Gin really _is_ a dog." Yukari explained. "He's a werewolf."

"A perverted werewolf," Kurumu added.

"Wow…" I asked, looking at Gin with new interest. "So, silver bullets and full moons?"

Gin rolled his eyes. "I guess I'll have to phase sometime to show you. Humans and their stupid myths…"

"How do you know I'm human?" I asked in surprise. Even though Gin had wanted to look up my skirt just few moments ago, we were having quite the conversation now. I didn't mind what he did, personally, because he never did get to do what he wanted to do (if that made sense), and I was really interested in all this werewolf stuff. It was just so fascinating…

My head snapped up to look at Kiseki as he sighed. I smiled wryly to myself. He was probably knew what I was thinking. He seemed to know this expression well; it was the expression I had when I was fascinated, intrigued, and careless… extremely careless.

"Well, I know because you _smell_ like a human," Gin answered. I looked away from Kiseki to focus on him. "Kind of like our buddy Tsukune over here."

"Right," I said, frowning. If it was that obvious I was a human, then…

"Yeah, it's hard to conceal," Gin said, guessing my thoughts. "But you don't smell completely like a human… There's something different about you."

I smirked, pleased he had noticed. "You're right."

Gin sighed. "Can you tell your boyfriend to let me go now? I'm not going to hurt anyone."

I blushed, ignoring Gin's request. "He's not my boyfriend."

"That's right," Garron and Kiseki both responded at the same time.

"Because _I'd_ be a better boyfriend than you could ever be, Kiseki old pal," Garron added confidently, smiling. "That fact is quite obvious."

"What?" Kiseki snorted, letting Gin go. "Like hell it is."

"Oh, come on, we both know that I'm closer to being boyfriend material than you will ever be!" Garron smirked.

Kurumu suddenly bent down and whispered in my ear.

"Looks like somebody's gotta choose~!" she said in a sing-song voice.

I sighed, pursing my lips. I wasn't going to be uncomfortable about this; I had to say something, to sort it all out.

"You guys are my friends," I said, rotating myself to look at everyone. "I love every single one of you."

"You're too sweet," Mizore said, suddenly coming up behind me and patting my head. I smiled slightly. I truly did love everyone here… They felt like the big, boisterous family I missed and needed, outside of my home.

This school year was going to be amazing, I'm sure of it.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong>

Hey guys!

I decided to write something less boring in this chapter, and closer to Rosario Vampire material… you know, kind of perverted and funny, with a twist. But there won't be many scenarios like this, though, I'm afraid :P Unless you want me to write more 0.0 But then you'd all have to give me ideas, 'cause I'm not that perverted :/ Hahaha…

I wasn't sure how you guys would react to lovey-dovey scenes… so I've been trying to avoid them x( Like, two guys fighting over one girl is just so _typical_ in mangas and animes! I'm sure you all know this… *sigh* But don't worry, it's not going to going to be like this all the time. One of the main themes of this story is friendship, so… not a lot of romance going on :/

Oh, and please give me feedback! Favorite, Review, and leave you thoughts/comments! I love reading your messages :D You can even PM me if you wish… I don't mind.

*Sigh* I'm writing too much. Well, for those of you who are still reading, please continue on to the next chapter! I wish you all the best :)

― ACookieZ


	12. Chapter 12: Crystal Ball

**Angel vs. Demon**

Chapter 12 – Crystal Ball

The next morning, I woke up refreshed and reenergized. Midnight was curled up on my stomach, her breathing soft and even. I felt kind of bad; I didn't want to wake her. I had no choice, though… With a sigh, I gently pushed her off to rest on the bed. Midnight let out a croaky little "meow" as I woke her.

It was a school day today… I couldn't afford to be late. I stretched, yawning, and then headed over to my window to open up the curtains. It was sunny outside, and I wanted to air out my room.

That thought was quickly forgotten as I stared, wide-eyed, across my window. There, on the other side of in the boys' dorm stood Kiseki, at his window as well. He stopped short as he saw me, just staring at him.

Why did I stare at him? Well, he was half-naked and bare-chested. I knew it wasn't cold or anything, but still… he slept just in his boxers? That's a bit too much.

I saw Kiseki smirking from behind the glass, waving slowly and dramatically at me like I was mentally retarded. I immediately snapped my mouth shut. I wasn't going to admit he had very good-looking abs when he was being so rude so early in the morning (even though he did).

"Bye," I mouthed at him, prepared to shut the curtains. Kiseki rolled his eyes, and then quickly opened up his window. He leaned out of it as far as he could go.

"Hey, Ame! Stop being so rude so early in the morning!" he hollered at me. I blinked in shock as startled birds rocketed out of the trees right below him. This guy, he was going to wake up the entire dorm! And, what more, using the exact same words that I had just thought of!

"Be quiet!" I mouthed, flapping my arms around in frustration. I didn't want more people to notice. More and more guys from around Kiseki's window had already opened up the curtains, though, and were looking out in annoyance. I quickly pulled back and drew the curtain, refusing to talk to him further. This was just embarrassing! I didn't want to be known as the girl who had disturbed the entire male dorm.

I still caught Kiseki laughing at me before I had fully closed my curtains, though. I sighed, but I couldn't help smiling. _Way to ruin my morning,_ I thought dryly, shaking my head.

* * *

><p>"Take a seat, children, before I go crazy and do something horrible to you all," Ms. de Mone sighed, drumming her fingernails on her desk. Everyone shuddered and hurried back to their assigned seats. It wasn't just me; everyone felt something odd about Ms. de Mone. It was really intimidating, truthfully. No one dared to defy her, not even the "naughty" students.<p>

"Today, we have someone… er, _special_ over to talk to you guys," she continued, heading to the door. "It's Ms. Nekonome from the other senior classroom. It's something about the event she's organizing for tomorrow… or something. I really don't know, or care."

Before Ms. de Mone could fully open the door, Ms. Nekonome bounded in, throwing the door open, right into Ms. de Mone's face. She just stood there, speechless, as I couldn't help but smile. I wanted to run over there and give Ms. Nekonome a hug right then. I had heard she was the nicest teacher at Yokai, but I'd never actually talked to her before… I only saw her in the hall once or twice.

"Sorry, sorry, guys!" she cried, flustered. "I was afraid I was late… and interrupting your class… Anyway!" she said, brightening, "I have wonderful news! More wonderful than raw fish on Saturdays!"

My eyebrows rose slightly. She was worse than my cat.

"I'm usually in charge of the group activities' preparations, and tomorrow… we're having a Survival Test!"

The class gasped. I was confused… Was it like a whole day full of tests? We had to pass and "survive" them all or something?

"Ms. Nekonome, you can't!" one student cried, springing up from his seat. "The Headmaster won't allow it!"

"Yeah!" another student, female, agreed. "You'll kill us all!"

I twitched a little, turning around to look at the faces of students. Most of them looked shocked and scared, a portion of them looked disbelieving, a few of them groaned, and some of them – just like me – looked confused and bewildered.

Ms. Nekonome, up in the front and the target of everyone's glares, shrunk back a little with her tail swishing. "Now, now, guys… It's not like it's going to be as bad as the real thing or anything! The Survival Test at our school is just a little mock version of what the real one is; just a series of obstacle courses and a few nights in the woods…"

My lungs constricted, and I almost stopped breathing. What did she say? Did I hear her wrong? A few nights in the woods? Was this woman crazy?

Well, considering the fact that she was a cat…

"Ms. Nekonome, why are you even doing this?" another student asked, sounding hopelessly frustrated.

"Well, everyone did so well at the Monster-Durian Hunt last year… so this year, I decided I should spice it up and organize something even more interesting for you guys!" she replied, smiling. It didn't take a genius to tell that she was proud of herself, and expected us to be thankful to her.

Ms. de Mone rolled her eyes. "Sure, get all the students killed, you feline. I sure won't mind."

"I'll explain, okay?" Ms. Nekonome said desperately, looking like she was being pushed back into a corner. Everyone seemed to be ganging up on her, both teacher and students. "Tomorrow, we'll all be meeting near the front gates – students, teachers, faculty, everyone – and we'll go over the details there. You're not allowed to bring anything other than yourselves! It's basically a big game – really fun… We'll spend just one day and one night in the woods, not a whole week like the real thing. You'll have to stay inside the boundaries of the electric-wired nets, and try to survive by yourselves for the length of that time… A whistle will blow when the time is up. Okay, I'm saying too much… I'm giving all the fun details away!" she laughed, scratching her head.

My eyes bulged out of my head. There were things like this at Yokai Academy? Everyone had told me that the forest and woods were dangerous… and now we were expected to go camping there? Camping… that didn't sound so bad, really. I had gone camping with my family before, and it was always fun.

I didn't think it was that bad, either, until I head the other students talking about it throughout the rest of the day. They wouldn't shut up about it… They were planning what to bring, who to pair up with, who to group, where to sleep, what to eat… everyone made it sound like such a huge event was coming up.

I went up to a girl in my English class that I sat beside, wanting to get to the bottom of this.

"What's all this commotion about the Survival Test thing?" I asked her. "Everyone's talking about it like it's something big…"

She looked at me like I was stupid.

"Of course it's big!" she cried. "There are dangerous activities that require us monsters to test ourselves, don't you know? Survival Test is one of them… Not everyone does it though, because it's super-dangerous. Basically, monsters gather around in the Labyrinth Forest, and try to survive for a week on their own. There are dangerous traps, evil flesh-eating creatures, and poisonous plants everywhere… and we have to find food and water by ourselves and find a place to sleep where we won't get eaten. We only have to survive for twenty-four hours, though, thank goodness."

The rest of the day, I wandered around vacuous, in shock. So this was what the Survival Test was… I gulped. The "surviving tests" idea I had before sounded so much better.

"Ame, what's wrong?" Garron popped up behind me, putting a hand on my shoulder. I spun around, smacking right into him.

"Oh," I blinked, looking up at him. "Um… I think I'm going to die."

Garron chuckled. "You used to say that to me almost every day… What happened now, though?"

I huffed. "Didn't you hear Ms. Nekonome's announcement? What she said about the Survival Test thing…?"

"Ah, that." Garron shrugged, looking unconcerned. "It's no big deal. Just one day and one night, right?"

I gaped at him.

"It's alright, Ame… I'll look after you if anything goes wrong," he said, rubbing my tense shoulders. I sighed slightly. I was so used to Kiseki saying that…

After we talked for a while, Garron walked with me back to the dorms. I didn't see Kiseki at all after school; maybe he had gone ahead before me or something. I wasn't concerned. He could look after himself.

"Well, see you tomorrow at the gates, Ame!" Garron said, waving at me. He looked so handsome and unconcerned… Just in case I didn't live long enough to see his smile again, I ran up to hug him.

Garron laughed lightly and patted my back. "It's not the end of the world, Ame…"

I sighed. "You're right, I guess… Well, see you, then."

"Bye,"

Trudging back to the main path that led to my dorm, I shuddered. I was too close to the woods… it gave me the chills. The path wasn't really a path, exactly… it was more like a dirt road, wide enough for only three people to walk on. That was, if they stuck close together side by side.

Crunching of twigs suddenly sounded behind me, and I spun around. Just my luck; the noise came from the woods. I was just about to turn around and head back to my dorm (and ignore the noise) when…

"Ah!" a voice cried out. It sounded like…

"Yukari!" I gasped, my eyes widening. I froze in my spot, my face scrunching together. What do I do? She sounded like she was in the woods… and she was crying out for help.

Well, obviously, as a friend, I had to go help her. But…

"You can't hide here, witch." A deep, growly voice chuckled. "You're casting a curse, huh? You won't even let me in on it…!"

"Eh, boss, we should just grab her already," another voice said. This one was slightly more higher-pitched. "Just take her ball."

Ball?

"No," I head Yukari say, her voice shaking. "I was just- No, stop! Give it back to me!"

That was it. Anger overruled my fear, and I started for where the voices where. They were picking on poor little Yukari! And stealing her stuff! What better are they than a group of thugs?

I pushed past bushes and ducked under branches, coming across a little clearing enveloped by bushels and rocks. It looked like the perfect place to cast a spell… Speaking of spells, I saw Yukari brandishing a magenta-colored wand, with a star encased in a heart at the tip. This felt so out of place right then, but I couldn't help but think how childish it looked…

The two burly young men set themselves in front of Yukari, holding something high above her reach. Sunlight glinted off of it, and I squinted as I tried to see what the "thing" was…

My eyes widened. It looked like – No, it _was,_ a crystal ball! And the bullies were taking it from Yukari!

I huffed lightly, but before I could gather up my courage to barge in and intercede, something zipped past me and tackled the biggest burly man from behind. I gasped.

"Kenta!" Yukari exclaimed, dropping her wand. "Wha-what are you doing here?"

"Um, saving you?" Kenta replied, confused. He had attempted to tackle the guy, but the guy still wasn't down; Kenta just clung onto his back like a little monkey, as if the burly dude was giving him a piggy-back ride. It was too sad to watch, honestly.

"Get off me, you piece of-"

"No!" Yukari cried as Kenta was dropped onto the ground. A whoosh of air escaped Kenta's mouth as he fell flat on his back. It was a wonder that his baseball cap didn't fall off of his head! The guy that had shaken Kenta off slowly approached him, and rested his feet on Kenta's chest. No, not "resting"… more like _crushing_.

"Grab the little witch," he said to his accomplice, not taking his eyes off Kenta. "Don't let her get away. We can't let her take the ball now, can we?"

His buddy stomped (he couldn't help it; he was just so big) over to Yukari, slinging a porky arm around her neck. This wasn't good… Kenta was on the ground, stepped on by a huge guy that weighs who-knew-how-much, unable to get up, and Yukari was captured by the other guy. I had no choice but to burst out from the bushes now, and…

And what? I could barely protect _myself_; how was I supposed to save my friends? My powers hadn't developed much either, not that I had even tried to use it, but I couldn't fight off those two big guys.

It turned out I didn't need to. Kenta shuddered under the weight of the guy's foot, struggling to reach up to… his neck? His head? I frowned when Kenta's hands closed around his dog tag… What was he doing? Praying?

Kenta suddenly ripped the dog tag off of his head. It glinted in the sunlight for a moment before vanishing across the little clearing, under some bush.

Kenta's cap dropped off from his head, revealing his ears… They weren't his normal dog ears anymore. They expanded to twice its size, making Kenta look like an anime dog character. The burly guy staggered back in surprise; he probably didn't expect Kenta to have animal qualities to him. Kenta took this chance and immediately leapt up. His bottom wiggled until a razor-sharp-looking tail burst out from his pants.

The guy regained his cool. "Hah, is that all you got?"

He started shaking as well, and suddenly he began to grow right in front of my eyes. If I thought he was big before, the guy grew to almost twice his original size! He expanded until he burst out of his clothing… turning furry. Extremely furry.

His shaggy hair melted into his head, almost turning into a mane. His ears disappeared, and furry little tuffs grew in its place. The guy didn't stop here, though; his face rounded and squished into his head at the same time, forming a protruding snout to replace his house and mouth area. He looked like… like…

"Hur," he laughed, but it sounded like a cross between a snort and a growl. "Go back to your b*tch, you little dog. Nobody messes with me; this is the forest! This is _my_ area. This is where the bear lives!"

Kenta didn't look fazed at the bear demon's transformation. At the mention of his mother, however, his shoulders tensed. A deep growl began to build up in his throat, shocking me. I had never seen this side of Kenta before.

Suddenly, Kenta jumped up and lashed out at the bear-monster, slashing his face with outstretched paws. I say "paws", because that was what replaced his hands. Sharp claws poked out from between his fingers, and the burly bear cried out as it made contact with his face.

"Nobody talks about my momma like that," Kenta growled, sprinting behind the guy. "I'm going to make you pay… for hurting Yukari as well."

The man put a massive paw to his face, stomping backwards, trying to step on Kenta. His tactic would have worked (if he was trying to squish a normal human), but Kenta was a thousand times faster than him. The time it took the bear man to raise his foot, Kenta was already backing up. As the guy stepped back, forcing his outstretched feet behind him in a slope, Kenta broke into a run. He sprinted up the guy's hairy leg, not slowing his momentum, and raced up. He pushed his paws against the man's shoulders to boost himself high up into the air.

The hairy bear-monster growled in pain as Kenta's claws sunk into his shoulders, and began swinging his large paws at him. Kenta flipped in midair, coming down feet-first in a freefall. He plummeted downwards, right onto the monster's head.

It was an instant KO.

Kenta dusted his paws off as he landed on the ground, glaring at the man who held Yukari captive. "Now it's your turn…"

The man looked around him nervously, his eyes darting between Kenta and his unconscious "boss". Suddenly, he released Yukari.

"I don't want no trouble," he said, licking his lips nervously. "My boss just wanted the ball, that was all…"

"Drop the ball," Kenta said, taking a step towards him. Compared to the other guy, Kenta was considerably smaller, but the guy backed up nonetheless. He swallowed, dropped the crystal ball, and fled back to the school campus.

The crystal ball, being the perfect sphere that it was, rolled until it came to me, bumping me in the foot.

"Ame?" Kenta asked, his eyebrows raised in surprise. He had just noticed me. I smiled hesitantly, picked up the crystal ball and headed towards them. As soon as I got there, Yukari crashed into Kenta and me and gave us a big bear hu ― I mean, a big normal hug.

"Kenta, you were so brave!" she exclaimed, releasing us and picking up her wand. "I couldn't believe it, you were so fast! And your paws… Wow, you were so cool!"

Kenta blushed, rubbing the back of his head in embarrassment. "Aw, it was nothing… I couldn't just leave you here, did I?"

I gulped nervously. It was kind of what I did, before Kenta had burst in and saved the day. I sighed. _Hesitating is okay,_ I told myself, somewhat doubtfully. _Even though you couldn't have done anything, you still considered, right? Isn't it the thought that counts…?_

"Yup, you were extremely cool," I agreed, patting Kenta on the back. "I didn't know our little Kenta could be so… macho."

Kenta blushed even deeper. "I-I…"

I laughed lightly. Kenta was still Kenta, no matter what form he was in; furry, clawed, dog tag-less, or with tails and ears, he was still the Kenta I knew.

Suddenly, a thought popped into my head.

"Wait, Yukari… what were you doing in the woods in the first place?" I asked, frowning. "I heard the bear-guys talking about a curse or something…?"

Yukari looked away. "Um… it's not a curse. It's a spell."

"A spell?" Kenta echoed.

"No, no, it's not even that…!" Yukari frowned. "It's more like… Well, I was just trying to see into my crystal ball. You know the Survival Test Ms. Nekonome was talking about in class today? I didn't feel too good about it… I had to check my ball to see if anything bad was going to happen."

"How?" Kenta asked.

"My crystal ball sees all," Yukari said, smirking in pride. "I was looking into the future. It didn't work so well when I tried it in the classroom at school… I felt like I needed to be closer to the actual area to see what would happen there. That's why I came into the forest. Those evil bullies probably just wanted in on it and wanted my crystal ball so they can use it for their own purposes... those evil hairy thugs..."

"Hmm…" I murmured, my eyes locked on the crystal ball. Yukari continued to explain things to Kenta, but I wasn't paying attention; their words drifted by my ears as if I had a barrier around me that stopped everything from entering, even air.

Yes, I wasn't breathing. I held my breath as I stared into Yukari's crystal ball.

Swirling white mist revolved inside it, picking up speed and spinning around until it looked like a tornado. The mist darkened, turning from white to gray to black in just a matter of seconds. My reflection showed in the glass, but my features were all wrong… They looked more angular and hostile. My eyes were a demonic red, and my hair swirled around my face. Yukari had said that she was checking the future for tomorrow, but I doubted what I saw right now was even part of that…

I hoped it would never be a part of my future. I looked too frightening.

"Hey, Ame?" Kenta shook my shoulders, snapping me back into reality. "Ame! You've been blanking out for a few minutes! You okay?"

Yukari gingerly took the crystal ball away from me, polishing it with her cape.

"Don't stare into it too concentrated," she said, frowning, "or else it will swallow you. It'll show you things you don't want to see…"

I gulped, and nodded. She was definitely right about that. "Yeah… ok."

Kenta smiled at me and ducked under the bushes, coming back up with his dog tag again. He quickly slipped it on around his neck, and immediately his ears began to shrink to a smaller size, and his tail disappeared enough to make him close his torn pants over them.

Yukari looked intrigued, and wouldn't stop bugging Kenta about his dog tag all the way back to the main path. I smiled and let them talk to each other for the way back.

After we bid our goodbyes, I headed to our own dorm, and locked myself in my room. I buried my face into Midnight's soft fur, and tried to calm myself. I willed myself to forget the picture in the crystal ball.

It didn't work, though. I still couldn't get the image ― no, _my_ image, out of my head.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong>

Hi people~

For this chapter, I just wanted to introduce the Survival Test and also make Kenta show off some of his awesome doggie powers~ Heheh… I hope Kenta made you all happy this chapter :) And I've always been fascinated with Yukari's crystal ball (earlier introduced in Season II of the manga)… so yeah.

Look forward to the next chapter! :D I will try to make it extra long, but if it doesn't work then I'll just stretch it out to make it fit two chapters. We'll see how it goes…

― ACookieZ


	13. Chapter 13: Survival Test Part I

**Angel vs. Demon**

Chapter 13 – Survival Test Part I (On Your Marks, Get Set...)

An insistent ringing sounded at 6:00 AM, waking me up and startling me. I was still so tired (as a result from barely sleeping the night before), but I had to set my alarm early for the big day.

... Gulp.

I didn't know what I felt; I guess it was one of those occasions where one doesn't quite feel the shock and trauma of it all until later or something. I was still kind of in a daze.

Yawning, I went into my washroom to take a quick shower. Who knew? It might just be my last one. I then changed out of my pajamas and slipped into my school uniform. It was ridiculous how they expect us to survive in the woods without anything except the clothes on our backs… We would all probably dirty our uniforms, die from hypothermia, catch rare/incurable diseases, or starve to death.

I shook my head. I really had to quit it with the pessimistic thinking.

On the way out of my dorm, I realized I was among the few students who woke up early this morning… it was eerily silent. Crows cawed on the bare braches of the trees in Yokai Academy, staring down at me with their beady little eyes. I felt a chill, and I knew it probably wasn't from the light breeze.

Speaking of breezes… This school didn't seem to have any variation in temperature at all, let alone changes of seasons. I've been here for a little over a month, and the climate remained the same… every day was chilly, cool, and as creepy as ever. And it was almost summer in the human world! At Yokai Academy, it always had an autumn-ish atmosphere. I didn't mind a bit; I loved the season. Autumn wasn't too hot and stifling (like Summer), or rainy and wet (like Spring), or freezing and slippery (like Winter). I loved the nice cool breezes that wafted through the windows of the school, even though the trees were bare and tombstones were littered everywhere.

I looked around me at the empty grounds and sighed. Everyone probably wanted to enjoy the safe feeling of being under their bed covers for as along as possible before the Survival Test… Either that, or they were skipping. Truthfully, I could sympathize. It was still a little too spacious here around campus, though. There were usually students milling about everywhere.

Whistling a fast, happy tune to cheer myself up, I decided to pick my friends up at their dorms. We could all go to the front gate together.

I stopped in front of Kiseki's dorm, hesitating to knock or go in. I was sure the boys in there were all still sleeping, and after the little incident yesterday morning, I wasn't so keen on disturbing them again. I rocked back and forth on my feet, gnawing at my lip. I wished Kiseki was here already… or I was going to have to leave him.

"Ame!" A surprised voice broke the silence. "Why are you here so early in the morning?"

I looked up to see Kiseki at the dorm steps, closing the door behind him. I smiled in relief; Kiseki always seemed to be there when I needed him most.

"Missed me already?" he asked, smirking. I scoffed, hitting him lightly on the head. This guy was too arrogant for his own good.

"I was thinking of rounding everyone up and going to the gates together, actually," I said.

"Hmm…" Kiseki paused for a moment, then asked, "Where's your cat?"

I blinked in surprise. "You mean Midnight? Why would I bring her?"

"Aren't we having like a camping trip or something? And for an entire 24 hours, too…"

"Oh. Well, I wasn't going to let her get eaten in the woods or starve to death in my room, Kiseki," I replied, rolling my eyes. "I left her with Ruby… she'll take care of her during this whole – wait, what did you call it? A 'camping trip'?"

"Yeah."

"You know, it's a _Survival Test_. We'll need to _survive_…" I sighed. Kiseki didn't seem to care much, either way. How could he disregard such an important occasion?

"Huh, that doesn't bother me." Kiseki scoffed, looking relaxed. "I've camped plenty of times before…"

"Really?" I asked in surprise with my eyebrows raised. I didn't know Kiseki was the outdoorsy type.

"Well, if you count running away from home and surviving in a shed in the forest for a few weeks 'camping', then yes." Kiseki pursed his lips, a faraway look in his eyes.

Under normal occasions I would have found that funny, but the expression on Kiseki's face upset me. I wasn't going to pry, though. Kiseki really seemed to have a complicated past; I guess that was part of the reason why he was always so bitter and apathetic all the time. Still…

Kiseki suddenly noticed my dejected look and he tried to appear amused, in an attempt to lighten the mood.

"So you see, no worries," he said. "No big bad wolf is going to get you…"

I laughed lightly, linking my arm through Kiseki's. To other people, we probably looked like a badly-matched couple (with Kiseki looking so striking and gorgeous and me being so… well, mundane and _human_), but I didn't care. During the past few weeks, I noticed Kiseki becoming more open and friendly… and I felt happy for him. He was my friend.

A hand suddenly landed on my shoulder, and (from all the nerves and my anxiety about the Survival Test) I let out a girly, high-pitched scream. It only lasted a millisecond or so before another hand clasped itself over my mouth.

"Relax, it's me," Garron's voice said, laughing. I twisted around to glare at him.

"Don't do that," I hissed, blushing from having displayed my bad vocal skills. "You scared the crap out of me!"

Garron ignored the request. Instead, he nodded at my arm, still linked through Kiseki's.

"What've we got here?" he asked, his lips twitching in amusement. "You guys dating?"

Kiseki immediately withdrew his arm. I inwardly scowled at Garron… Kiseki was being nice for once, accepting my friendly gestures. Garron just _had_ to ruin it.

"We're not dating," Kiseki retorted. "She's not my type."

I huffed, blew my bangs out of my face, and said sarcastically: "_Well_ then… I'm not offended at all."

Garron laughed, and then patted my shoulder as an apology. I wasn't ready to forgive him yet… Instead, I concentrated on getting to Moka, Yukari, Kurumu, and Mizore's dorm faster. We still had to pick up Kenta and Tsukune, too.

"Ame!" Moka cried. She rushed up to me, giving me a big hug. After we had all spilled our guts out to each other a few days before, it was no wonder why she liked me so much now… Plus, I guessed that she must have realized one important thing about me that she really liked: I wasn't there to steal her Tsukune.

I smiled to myself, patting Moka on the back. I was just happy to be there as her friend… It must be good to have a girlfriend you know you won't have to compete with, after all. I didn't blame Moka. Or any of the other girls, for that matter…

"So you woke up early too, huh?" Kiseki asked Moka, nodding his chin at her.

Moka's eyes widened, and she gaped. "You… you actually talked in the morning!"

I laughed. "Yeah, I know, right? For once!"

Kiseki scowled at us. He quickened his stride to the boys' dorm, leaving us behind… muttering something about "girls" all the way there.

I sighed. "Oh well… that's all we're going to get out of him now."

Moka shook her head sadly. "I know he's my step-brother and all… but sometimes he is just so odd."

Behind us, Garron chuckled. It sounded… off. I turned around to look at him quizzically, but he just smiled innocently at me.

Up ahead, we heard Kurumu. And I said "heard", and not "saw", because, well… she was making a racquet bigger than she was.

"Kiseki, I thought you were here to help me!" she cried. "Hey, don't just leave! _Hey!_"

I hurried forward, and saw Kurumu shake her fist at Kiseki's back. I was just going to laugh, when I looked down around her and…

"Oh no, Kurumu!" Moka groaned. "What have you done this time?"

Kurumu immediately spun around to face us. "Oh, hi guys! I'm so glad you're here. You're just in time! I need help carrying all my stuff…"

I gulped, looking at the mountains of bags, camping and hiking essentials, and backpacks around her. "I thought we weren't allowed to bring anything…"

Kurumu scoffed. "Huh! As if you expect me to listen to that! I can't survive in the woods all by myself without my stuff… And how am I supposed to eat? I have to cook! It's bad enough that I can't bake… I brought my frying pan, though. Maybe if someone can start a fire…?"

Mizore suddenly appeared from behind one of Kurumu's especially large hiking bags.

"She wouldn't listen to me," she stated, rolling her eyes. "I don't even know why she brought what she brought. All I needed was my lollipop…"

I sighed. Kurumu had guts, I'll admit that. She wouldn't just let the situation be, though… and in the end, we were all forced to carry something for her.

"That's the spirit, team!" she exclaimed, marching towards the boys' dorm. "One, two, three, four! One, two, three, four…!"

By the time we got there, all of us were dead-tired. What had Kurumu put in all her bags? Rocks? Oh, right. Something even better. _Frying pans_.

I sighed. Tsukune was (or was trying to) having a conversation with Kiseki, up ahead. Ignoring my aching back for a moment, I allowed myself a smile. They seemed to get along really well… better than Garron and Kiseki did, at least.

It was probably because Garron was too much like Tsukune, in a sense. Two nice people couldn't have a very interesting conversation. Tsukune, however, seemed to have experience in dealing with mute and grumpy people.

I tilted my head, deep in thought. No wonder all the girls loved Tsukune… Even though he was human, he was still so nice to everyone, and willing to risk everything for them. I was very envious, to tell the truth.

"Ame? Ame!" Somebody tapped me on the forehead, snapping me back to reality. I looked down and saw Kenta staring up at me with his huge puppy-dog eyes… in a very literal sense, in fact, considering that he was a half dog-demon.

"Kenta!" I smiled, ruffling his hair. I had an overwhelming urge to scratch his ears, but Kenta pulled back before I could even try.

"Don't even," he warned, pulling his cap tighter on his head. His eyes narrowed slightly. "My doggie senses never fail me!"

I laughed. Together, we joined the others and made our way to the front gates. Only Kiseki and Yukari were missing… but they were probably there already. Count on them to always stay one step ahead.

There were a sea of Yokai school uniforms swarming the front gate. If I ever forgot exactly how big the Yokai Academy population really was, this definitely made me remember. All those monster students… I suddenly shuddered involuntarily. I was still singled out as the weakest one here, after all…

Kiseki and Yukari spotted us among the crowd, and made their way to us. Although Kenta was way shorter than the rest of us, he made a good point of being seen. He jumped up and down, and waved his arms just for good measure.

Just as the two reached us, the screeching of a speakerphone was heard. Many students winced and covered their ears.

"Good morning, students of Yokai Academy!" Ms. Nekonome greeted us, stepping onto a large boulder so everyone could see her. She shouted into her speakerphone enthusiastically. "Welcome, everyone, to another exciting activity! I'm so happy everyone gathered here to participate in the Survival Test!"

A large number of students groaned. Ms. Nekonome's spirit, however, wasn't dampened.

"Everyone did so well in the Monster Durian Fruit Hunt last year; I decided to make this year's activity more exciting for you all! I will start by describing the event venue. There are electric, barbed-wire fences surrounding the boundary area, so no student can escape." She smiled, as if it was a good thing. Her appearance and the words coming out of her mouth didn't match at all. I resisted the urge to shudder again.

"Anyone is allowed anywhere within the boundary, and there are even a few rivers and lakes near the south." she continued, "However, there are many traps and dangers in the woods… Just to name a few: man-eating apples, rabid squirrels, monster tarantulas, zombies, ancient tree spirits, a few troublesome fairies, and, as we all remember well, the Durian Monster… as well as a few wolves, coyotes, and foxes."

I heard many of the students scoff. Sure, it didn't sound very dangerous, but…

"Just to make it more interesting, the teachers have also set up traps for you guys – like the ones that catch bears, nets that you will get caught in and not escape, deep chasms covered with grass and branches as camouflage, and ropes that will possibly hang you…"

A few of the students started protesting.

"And don't forget, there are also poisonous fruit, fungi, and vegetation!"

"Too much information!" a male student shouted from near the back of the crowd.

Ms. Nekonome pouted. "But… I was only trying to warn you guys. Anyways! As for the rules, they are simple… No bringing stuff and no killing each other. However, maiming is allowed." Ms. Nekonome paused (while I picked my jaw off of the ground upon hearing her last sentence), and then continued.

"Speaking of not bringing anything…" she raised her voice and turned towards the general direction of my friends. "Kurumu, what is all the stuff you have there?"

Everyone turned to look at Kurumu and her mountain of bags as she blushed.

"Nothing!" she shouted in reply. "I need them for camping!"

The entire student body started laughing while Kurumu glared at as many people as she could, as fast as she could.

"No, Kurumu," Ms. Nekonome said. "I'm sorry, but you'll have to leave it all here!"

Kurumu dug through one of her bags, muttering under her breath. Ms. Nekonome then raised her speakerphone once more.

"Ok, once I blow the whistle, you can all start! I will blow it again, in twenty-four hours, when the Survival Game has ended. Alright - on your marks, get set…!"

The whistle sounded. Immediately, the stampede of students started to move forward, tossing me from student to student like a rag doll. I was just getting sore from being jostled around when a firm hand landed on my shoulder, steadying me. I looked up to see Kiseki staring down at me, looking amused. A smirk played at his lips.

"How're you doing here?" he asked. "Are you being… _pushed around_?"

Ok, I was going to thank him for saving me, but forget it. I wasn't going to boost his ego. It was already too big. I glared at him instead. Kiseki with his cruel humor…

"No, I'm fine-"

Kiseki immediately released me, and I was gone from his sight, carried away by the swarm of students. No matter how hard I tried to squeeze between them to get out of there, I couldn't. The bodies seemed to come together like iron walls.

Somehow Kiseki sought me out again, and grabbed me by the arms.

"Ok, never mind…" I murmured. "I'm being pushed around."

Kiseki laughed, and steered me out of the crowd and onto a small dirt path near the entrance of the woods. The rest of my friends were all waiting there, looking impatient.

"Ame, Kiseki! You guys are so late!" Yukari chided, shaking her wand at us.

"Sorry," Kiseki replied solemnly, keeping a straight face. "Ame was getting bullied."

I elbowed him in the ribs, but smiled anyway. Kiseki was definitely becoming friendlier nowadays.

"Okay, let's go!" Kurumu said, raising a – what was that? – into the air.

"Kurumu, I thought we agreed not to bring anything," Tsukune said nervously, staring at the object in her hand.

"I couldn't leave my frying pan behind!" she protested. "We need it to eat! Besides, if you decided to get naughty at night, Tsukune, I might have to use it for self-protection…" She wiggled her eyebrows at him suggestively.

Mizore rolled her eyes. "I wouldn't mind whatever it is Tsukune does to me!"

I cleared my throat loudly. "Um, let's talk about that somewhere else, please… there are innocent little people present." I looked down at Kenta pointedly. I was uncomfortable when I first heard the two making those inappropriate comments, but I was soon used to them. Sometimes, I even found it a bit funny…

"You know, I'm kind of hungry," Kenta said, completely oblivious to the conversation between Kurumu and Mizore. As if on cue, his stomach growled. "We didn't even have breakfast yet…"

"Oh yeah, that's right." Kurumu frowned, tapping the tip of her pan to her chin. "We'll have to collect berries and fruits and stuff for breakfast, right? We'd best not cook anything right now…"

"Collecting berries and fruits aren't hard!" Moka said, her aura all positive. "We can even split up and search for it if we want! We only have to remember to avoid the poisonous ones…"

"Ok!"

Everyone approved of the decision, and split up separately to search for the food. I was excited; I couldn't wait to explore the forest on my own. Everyone had been telling me it was dangerous and that I shouldn't go in there since I first came to Yokai, but now…

I grinned to myself. This was the chance to satisfy my curiosity!

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong>

Hello, you people! :3

As you all know, this is just Part I of the Survival Test... there's plenty more to come later!

So yeah, Ms. Nekonome is overly-enthusiastic about her students risking their lives xD I've noticed this in the mangas, and it's quite hilarious. Her lack of concern and her love for fish… Ah, how I'd love to have her as my teacher~ x)

Please Favorite this story if you like it (it would make me happy x3) and leave me a comment, so I know how you're taking the story so far! :D Ok, well, see you all soon in the next chapter…!

― ACookieZ


	14. Chapter 14: Survival Test Part II

**Angel vs. Demon**

Chapter 14 – Survival Test Part II (Battered & Bruised)

I headed off into the thickest part of the forest, determined to make the best of my time. Of course, I didn't forget about picking berries or fruits… I would get them as soon as –

_Hold on a second_. I froze, a look of disbelief (mingled with amusement) on my face. I had no idea what fruits to pick! Ms. Nekonome had warned us of the poisonous fruits and plants out here… and she even mentioned something about carnivorous apples! How the hell was I supposed to pick fruits, then…?

I laughed at myself for not even bothering to ask the others. Sure, I'd paid attention to my classes at school… but I'd only been at Yokai Academy for a few months, and my class barely got to the poisonous vegetation chapter! They didn't teach us anything like this in the human world. It was all still foreign to me.

I sighed, ashamed of myself. How was I supposed to explain this to them, now? I couldn't just come back empty-handed…

Taking a deep breath, I decided to depend on my natural instincts and common sense. Looking around me, I crouched low to the ground and crept near bushes and fruit trees, keeping an eye out for animals. It didn't matter whether the animals were dangerous or mutated… They all had a little something I didn't.

Minutes passed, and my patience was rewarded. I smiled as I saw a weird-looking bird peck at a fruit on the tree above me. Its beak looked sharp enough to cut through steel; the bird kept denting and puncturing the fruit with its beak. I flinched slightly, careful not to attract attention to myself. I wouldn't want to be eaten by a bird… God, that just sounded unnatural.

To my surprise, the fruit-bearing tree I was under turned out to be one that grew the man-eating apples. I found out about this when the fruit (that looked extremely like an apple) twisted around on its branch and started attacking the bird.

I gaped. Was this supposed to be normal?

The bird and the apple fought, as neither willingly gave up. The bird jumped in and out, testing the apple's defenses and occasionally pecking at it. The apple seemed to be firmly attached to its stem, and that gave it a disadvantage, but it looked vicious nonetheless. It fought back with vigor, the skin opening up to reveal rows of jagged, sharp teeth.

I looked on, entranced. This was completely insane. Ms. Nekonome did mention carnivorous fruits… but I didn't think it was actually alive. Venus fly traps were one thing; this was another.

My thoughts were cut short when the fruit opened its mouth wide – just as the bird came into biting-range – and caught it by the wings. The bird squawked (an ugly sound that made crows sound like beautiful opera singers) and flapped its wings, struggling to escape. It was no use; the fruit won in the end. It quickly gobbled the bird up, making a sickening crunching noise as it chewed up the remains.

Just when I thought it couldn't get worse, the apple let out a loud belch and spit out the bird's iron beak.

I forced my wide eyes shut as I breathed in and out, struggling to deal with what I saw. Since when did prey eat predators? This was so twisted…

Keeping quiet, I crawled away from the tree, careful not to alert the apple of my existence. I knew it sounded weird, trying to escape from a fruit… but I liked my apples inanimate and edible, thank you very much. Not the other way around.

I guess my plan didn't work out. I frowned at myself. It wasn't a bad plan… all I had to do was watch animals eat fruits and see how it affected them (thus knowing whether the fruit or plant was poisonous or not), but I guess it didn't work in this scenario. It probably _couldn't_ work. Not when vegetation came to life and started attacking living creatures.

I shuddered. There had to be another way, though… Getting up, I patted down my skirt and started to wander around. I guess I would have to see if anything led me anywhere… very vague, I knew.

I picked my way over ancient tree roots and ducked under low branches. I saw a couple of colorful mushrooms and plants, but I knew better than to pick them. They did look very appetizing, though… especially the mushrooms. They looked so juicy…

I snapped myself out of those thoughts. My hunger was getting to me. A little over thirty minutes must have passed, and I still hadn't found anything edible yet. I was prepared to hang my head in shame and admit defeat when I saw something bright red flash across my vision, appearing just behind the trees a few feet away from me.

My breath caught in my throat, and I dared not breathe as I cautiously approached whatever was behind there. The red thing didn't move; it seemed to wait for me to catch up to it. I flinched as leaves crunched under my shoes, but the creature didn't seem to mind at all. That was so weird… It was almost like the red thing _wanted_ me to approach it. I quickly brushed that thought out of my mind, labeling it as absurd, but the ominous feeling in my gut wouldn't go away.

_Don't go near it! _a voice cried in my head. _It's dangerous!_

I was so surprised my step actually faltered a bit. I usually had a very strong conscience, but this was ridiculous! Since when had I started to hear voices in my head?

_No, _another part of me objected, _you can't let this opportunity escape! This is such a rare chance…! Don't you want to find out what's behind the tree?_

I had to agree with the second voice, this time. I was usually so rigid and strict on the health and happiness of others (my friends, family, etc.), but I wasn't really concerned with my own welfare. This was a flaw, I knew, but my curiosity always overruled my sense of safety. And the ironic thing was, I didn't think I've regretted any one of my actions so far.

_Yes, you're right, _the voice – now sounding smug – agreed. _Good choice, Ame, good choice…_

I was now right in front of the big tree. I had to lean around it in order to see the thing, as it wasn't moving anymore, but I hesitated. I couldn't help it; I was a little scared. But would else could I do? I couldn't find safe fruits and plants for others to eat… I was a failure in this area. The least I could do was try to find out more about my surroundings.

Sucking in a lungful of fresh forest air, I slowly poked my head around the tree. I came face-to-face with the most brilliant creature I'd ever seen in my life.

It was a blood-red deer! Not like the brownish-red ones that lived in the human world… This one literally glowed of flames. It illuminated from the inside, making its fur appear radiant. Black spots dotted its back, and blank, misty eyes met my gaze.

I couldn't take my eyes off of it. I admit its eyes kind of creeped me out a little, because they seemed to stare at nothing, but that didn't matter. This creature was beautiful! Truly one of a kind. It looked so breathtakingly stunning, yet deadly and lethal at the same time.

All of a sudden, the deer's nose twitched. It turned away from me, soundlessly heading past a wall of bushes. I didn't hesitate to follow. I closed my eyes, batting aside the braches that scraped my face and knees.

The deer led me to a little pond. The water was extremely still, and when I approached it, it seemed like I was looking at my reflection in a huge, silver mirror.

I looked back at the deer and frowned slightly. It glided gently around the shores of the pond, raising its head up and down, looking like it was giving a signal of some kind. It was behaving so strangely! Looking down at it, I suddenly realized that its hooves didn't even touch the ground.

My eyes widened, and all too late I realized I'd been tricked.

A series of high-pitched giggles came from everywhere around me. I looked up to see tiny little creatures coming out of trees, looked down to see the very same tiny creatures climbing out from holes, and looked around to see even more of the tiny creatures surfacing from the water of the pond, creating miniature ripples across the surface.

"Ah, what a catch!" one said, coming up to me and pinching my toe, "A human girl!"

I simply stared down at it, unable to comprehend what I was seeing. This was a tiny creature, yes, but it was more than that… Insect-like wings grew out of its back, and its ears were big and pointy.

This was no "tiny creature"; this was a pixie!

One of them flew up behind me and sat on my shoulder. I was too surprised to swat it away; it felt so light, I hardly noticed it was there.

"I'm glad at least one of the Big Ones was stupid enough to fall into our hands," it giggled, covering its mouth with dainty little hands.

Ignoring the comments, I looked up to search for the deer, but it had all but disappeared. A hint of desperation grew in me as I'd realized that my last hope was gone; this really _was_ a trick. And the pixie was right; I was stupid enough to fall for it. Well, not exactly. I knew the consequences; I was more curious than stupid. As they said, curiosity killed the cat. I supposed that was true.

"Where'd the deer go?" I asked, backing away slowly. I had to make sure I was only facing the pixies here; every little enemy counted. "Where'd you send it off to?"

"Deer?" a tiny voice sounded at my ear. I flinched back. "What deer? There are no deer…"

A tinkling laugh sounded at my other ear. "I think she's hallucinating! She's gone crazy, and we've yet to torture her!"

I frowned, confused. I wasn't really paying attention to the pixies, but I _was_ concerned about my sanity. Was I really seeing things? I doubted my imagination could come up with something as beautiful as that blood-red deer…

A pixie suddenly started pulling at my earlobes. "Oh, this one's all fleshy. I like it!"

More and more pixies approached me, flying around me, poking and pinching me. One or two of them doing so didn't hurt as much… but when you had a whole army of tiny, vicious little pixies attacking you? It felt worse than beestings. They were exactly like a hive of bees!

I didn't hold back anymore. I shook my head and my limbs, trying to shake off as many of them as possible. They simply growled and clung on tighter!

"Stop it!" I cried, trying to run back. "Let me go!"

"We can't!" they chorused. "You'll have to stay for dinner…"

"Huh?"

"… or _be _dinner~"

I never knew pixies ate humans. This wasn't the time to analyze information, though… I struggled to take a step forward, with possibly hundreds of those annoying little pests clinging onto me. They dragged me back, slinging vines and ropes around me.

All this probably made me sound very weak (shouldn't I - a human so much bigger than them - be able to escape?), but these pixies were vicious. They bit me and clawed at me, ramming into me with needles and such. I cried out in pain many times, and they seemed to enjoy that. They seemed to like torturing me.

Tears pricked at my eyes as I started to feel frustrated. In times like these, one would probably dive into the water or something (just like one would do to avoid bees), but it was no use. There were _water_ pixies, too. Those were the ones I'd seen crawling out of the pond before. Just my luck!

So many plans formed in my brain, but they were all ruled out one by one as the pixies attacked me.

I could drop to the ground and roll, possibly killing off a few of the pixies that clung onto me. That would be extremely dangerous, though… The weapons they held would most likely embed themselves into my flesh like bee stingers, and lying down on the ground would give them a better advantage of overwhelming me.

Swatting them off wasn't an option either. They were just like bees; you swat at them, they sting you and they bring more of their kind to sting you. Wave after wave of pixies would come at me. There was just no ending it. And, just to make things worse, they started chanting and singing while they tormented me, in their high, squeaky voices.

"I'm going to have you for dinner!"

"Ah, so fleshy and fresh-y and yummy!"

"There's no escaping from us!"

"We'll chase you everywhere…!"

"_Everywhere_…"

I'd had enough. The pain overwhelmed me, and I let out a growl of frustration. I shrieked, in an inhuman voice, and the anger inside me seemed to explode. It grew until it consumed me; I wanted to protect myself, but at the same time destroy these pests.

A glow expanded outwards, coming from within me. The pixies shrieked and squealed, and I felt their grips loosen on me. The back of my uniform expanded as well, as a pair of black-and-white wings shot out from my shoulder blades.

I blinked in shock. I had just transformed!

The pixies I had just stunned were coming back to consciousness and attacking me again, so I had no time to register what I had just done. Instead, I boosted myself off of the ground and took flight for the first time.

I _flew_.

It felt incredible! All the pain and frustration seemed to wash away as the cold air whizzed past my body, cleansing it and making me feel fresh and new once again.

"Hey!"

"Stop right there!"

"No one gets away from us!"

I looked back in shock to find that the pixies were in the air as well, and rapidly gaining on me. I was so stupid; how could I forget that they could catch me like this? This was _their_ territory, for goodness' sake!

_Well,_ I sighed, _there were no other means of escape, so I really had no choice._

I circled the air a few times, testing out my wings and improvising by flapping my arms and leaning from side to side. I probably looked extremely silly, but I didn't care. The pixies were getting tired, because I had an advantage. I was bigger than them, so I had a naturally bigger wingspan. One flap of my wings – which could cover a large distance – probably amounted to tens of their flaps. Their wings had to work overtime and buzz like a hummingbird's to catch up to my speed!

Soaring upwards, I looked back to make sure the pixies were following me. Once I was positive they were, I immediately tucked my wings in and dropped from the sky, rocketing downwards like a comet. The pixies had no time to react before I was gone. We were beneath a sea of trees and greenery; they couldn't have been sure which specific area I had dropped to.

What I didn't consider was how I was going to land. All I had thought about was escaping those pixies; only now did I realize I was going to crash through the treetops and end my life by doing a graceful face-plant into the dirt.

I didn't scream as I went down, thankfully, or else the pixies would have heard me and followed my voice. Instead, I squeezed my eyes and clamped my jaw shut, arms raised to protect my face. If I really did die like this, at least others could recognize me… I didn't want myself to get so beaten up and scratched that they couldn't identify who the body was.

Tree branches took turns taking swings at my face as I plummeted down through the treetops; some were large enough to knock the wind out of me. They hit me in impossible areas, scratching my skin and bruising me. My wings were tucked in, of course, but they did little to protect me from the wooden assaults I received. In fact, I'd rather my wings disappeared; they were getting battered, too, and they were a part of me. I felt every feather that was ripped out from my wings, and every little bone that crunched in them.

This was such a painful death.

All of a sudden, just when I thought this torture wouldn't end, I dropped from a branch and smacked into a solid, hard wall of…

"Ow… Ame?"

I opened one eye cautiously, and realized I was lying on top of a body. A "human" body… made out of flesh and bones, and not tiny little ones like those that belonged to the pixies.

I almost cried in relief. My vision clouded with tears, and this time it wasn't because of frustration.

"Ame?" the voice said, sounding concerned. "Ame, get up…"

"Huh?" I blinked my tears away, to better see who the body belonged to.

"Get up… You're suffocating me."

I staggered up on my feet, stumbling around. My wings didn't help improve my balance, either… they were kind of lopsided. Every part of my body ached, even my feet. I doubted I could stay on them for long.

"Nice wings," the voice said, sounding amused. I knew this voice…

"Kiseki?" I looked up, squinting. My eyes seemed to be swollen; they were puffy enough that I couldn't see through them properly.

"Wow, you look like a mess." Kiseki shook his head, looking at me.

Despite the fact that Kiseki was right, I still managed to smile wryly. "Why is it that you're always here when I'm in trouble?"

Kiseki hesitated a bit before answering. Was it me, or was that a look of regret that flashed across his face?

"It seems like I wasn't early enough this time," he said, putting his hand on my shoulder. "You okay?"

I flinched in pain and twisted away from his touch. "I'm… fine. I'm just worried about the others. I didn't even manage to collect one fruit or berry…"

Kiseki looked at me incredulously. "You look like you've been beaten up and stung by bees, and you're worried about _us_?"

"Well… isn't my job to collect food?" I frowned in confusion, but immediately stopped when it hurt my face.

Kiseki shook his head. "You're… incredible."

I perked up at that. "Really?" Kiseki had never complimented me before.

"Yeah, incredible… incredibly _stupid_."

I huffed. I knew it… that day would never come.

"Come on, let's get you cleaned up. You can't go back to the others looking like that, can you? They'll think I beat you up or something."

I smiled teasingly. "Then that's perfect! Let's go back while my wounds are still fresh!"

Kiseki snorted, then steered me towards a river. It was the one near our rendezvous spot, so it was the most convenient. I sure as hell didn't want to go back to the pond again.

Just as I took a step in that direction, though, I stepped on something soft and gooey. It splattered all over the bottom of my shoes.

"Ew, what's…" I trailed off as I saw what I had stepped on. They were berries and fruits, a whole truck load of them! And they were all scattered on the ground.

"Kiseki, what's this?"

"These are the fruits and berries I collected, of course." Kiseki looked at me like I was dense.

"I know what it is," I replied impatiently, "but what are they doing on the ground?"

"Well, where else are they supposed to go when you come falling out of a tree and crash into me?"

I gulped. "I did this?"

"You didn't do it directly, but yeah. You did it."

Could Kiseki be any more blunt?

My stomach dropped, though. Now I really _did_ feel ashamed. Not only did I not bring anything back to the others, I made Kiseki lose what he collected as well. All the frustration and pain from before came flooding back to me, and I truly felt worthless.

"What are you doing, Ame?" Kiseki took a step closer to me as I crouched down on the ground, on all fours, scrambling to pick up as many good fruits as I could.

"I can't let it all go to waste," I sniffled, wiping my sleeve across my nose. It stung, but I couldn't care less. "I can't believe I did this, Kiseki… I'm sorry."

I probably wasn't coherent just then; I started mumbling, and my vision came in and out of focus.

"I'm sorry…" I mumbled. "I didn't get anything… I knocked over your precious collection of food… We're all going to starve now… It's all because of me… I… I…"

Kiseki bent down and took me by my shoulders, shaking me with such force that my teeth rattled.

"Ame! Are you okay? Are you even sane? Do you know what you're saying?"

"Sure I do…!" I drawled, my head nodding against my chest. "I'm…"

Kiseki paused for a heartbeat, then bend down and licked one of my wounds. Before I could even process how gross that was, he spat and I head him say: "Damn it, pixie poison! Ame, just what did you get yourself into…?"

I cradled the few pieces of fruit I saved, and smiled groggily up at him. Although I'd never gotten very drunk before, I was pretty sure this was what it felt like.

"Kiseki… You're like my knight in shining armor." I grinned like an idiot, imagining him in a suit of tinfoil holding a plastic sword. "I'd marry Garron, then hire you as my bodyguard…!"

I was pretty sure I'd said some other embarrassing, unrepeatable things back then, but I could hardly remember. All I could recalled was Kiseki's humorless laughter, then the warmth of his chest as he picked me up and carried me back to the campsite.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong>

Hi you guys!

I hope you all enjoyed seeing Ame "drunk", haha x) I don't know much about pixies (all I know is that they're small, have wings, and are cute but sometimes vicious, etc.), so I decided to make up the part about the poison. Who knows? It could be true ;) Well, they have to have _some_ venom/secret weapon to protect themselves against bigger predators, right? If all they had were toothpicks and the wings on their backs… well, that wouldn't be much fun, would it now? xP

Hehehe. And on a side note, I liked how Kiseki saved Ame in this chapter! x3 He always seems to be there when she's in trouble, doesn't he? I thought that was so sweet~

Alright, I won't keep you waiting any longer. You may move on to the next chapter now! xD

― ACookieZ


	15. Chapter 15: Survival Test Part III

**Angel vs. Demon**

Chapter 15 – Survival Test Part III (Inner Monster)

When I came to, I found myself lying on the shores of the lake. I still felt horrible (both about the lack of food I brought back and from the pain of all my injuries), but my head was much clearer. Some of my minor wounds had even healed!

Sitting up, I glanced around to look for my "knight in shining armor". I blushed faintly at the memory. I didn't remember exactly what I had said, but I knew it was embarrassing nonetheless. I sighed miserably. How could I face him – and everyone else – now?

"Ame!" Kenta saw that I was awake, and scrambled over to meet me. "You're up! How're you feeling…?"

I felt pleasantly surprised to see Kenta there, so worried about me.

"I'm fine," I answered, ruffling his hair. "I just… met a few pests. And fell through a tree."

"Oh yeah, I heard," Kenta nodded, looking serious. "Kiseki told me all about it."

My heart pounded in my chest as I waited for Kenta's reaction. Did Kiseki tell him that I was "drunk"? Or that I had made a fool out of myself and said all those embarrassing things…?

When Kenta didn't react, I asked, "What did he say?"

"Oh, he didn't say much. He never does," Kenta grinned, as if thinking how silly it was of Kiseki not to speak. "He just said that you fell out of the tree like an angel and crash-landed right on top of him."

Words failed me, and I started to stutter. "W-w-what? _What_ did he say…?"

"Why did you never tell me about your wings?" Kenta complained, pouting. He came behind me and started to poke at my shoulder blades, where he thought the wings were. "I want to see your wings too!"

I turned around to face him, ignoring the soreness in my legs. "No, wait… what did he say about me before? When I fell out of the tree?"

"He said you were like a fallen angel," Kenta replied absent-mindedly. "I think he was kinda shocked about your wings, too, you know… None of us ever saw them before."

I didn't know whether to smile, to feel embarrassed, or to double-check whether the world was functioning properly. Since when did Kiseki compliment people in such a way? Especially when I burdened him so much, too…

I sighed. "So anyways… how long was I out for?"

"Oh, not long. A few minutes, maybe." Kenta stood up and walked over to the lake, picking up a large piece of moss on the way. He dipped it in the lake water, and then squeezed out the excess.

"I've been taking care of you all this time, you know!" he said, gesturing to the makeshift towel proudly. "You were kind of funny… mumbling in your sleep about fruits and plastic swords."

I quickly tried to change the subject. Although I was extremely proud of him, I didn't want to know what else Kenta might have heard when I was asleep.

"So where did Kiseki go?" I asked. "Did he just leave me here with you and take off?"

Kenta considered for a moment. "Yeah, pretty much. He said he had to collect some more food or something, and just told me to take care of you."

Okay, there goes my gratitude for Kiseki. Although it was my fault he had to go back and get more berries, the least he could have done was wait for me to wake up. Then I could have gone with him or something, to make up for it… and I wouldn't have to feel so bad.

"Hey Ame, hey Kenta!"

I turned around to see Garron walk towards us, dragging a large leaf behind him. A large pile of fruits were on top.

"Hi," I smiled, getting up to meet him. I wanted to help him sort out the food… or at least do _something_. I had to be of use somehow.

Looking behind me, I noticed that Kenta was hesitant to follow. I sighed inwardly. Although it had been a few months, Kenta still wasn't comfortable around Garron. I remember asking him about it once…

"He's… weird," Kenta had answered reluctantly back then. This was a few weeks ago. "My doggie senses tell me not to trust him."

"Do you think you might know why…?"

Kenta had shrugged his shoulders. "I'm not sure… Maybe it's because I sense that Garron is sometimes powerful, but sometimes isn't… I don't know how to explain. It's like he's being clouded over or something, like he's hiding something."

I remembered that I had raised my eyebrows at him skeptically.

"Or it could be because he sucks the life force out of living things," Kenta continued. "I'm a half-dog-demon, so it kinda affects me… How dare he hunt my fellow animals!"

Kenta had said the last part jokingly, but I knew he didn't think any better of Garron after he had revealed his "special power". I, on the other hand, had thought he was brave for doing so… It kind of made me see him in a whole new light.

"Ame?" Garron waved his hand in front of my face.

I snapped back to attention, pulling myself out of my flashbacks.

"Yeah, sorry," I said. "I'm kind of out of it."

"Want to lie down?" Garron asked, concerned. "You don't have to help me with this, you know…"

"Nah, I'm fine. I just think it's the aftereffects of falling through a tree and getting attacked by pixies."

"What?"

I then explained to Garron what had happened to me while he was out collecting fruits. Garron made all the right faces at all the right times, and it encouraged me to go on. I even made it sound a little bit exciting.

"Wow…" Garron said after I had finished. "That's quite the adventure."

I grimaced, scratching my head. "I wouldn't call it an_ adventure_, really… It still creeped me out. Plus it was so weird how only I saw the red deer…"

"Yeah, weird," Garron echoed, getting back to work and ending the subject. He seemed to be keeping some information from me (maybe he knew the origin of the deer?), but I decided not to push him. He would tell me when he's ready.

Suddenly, I heard Kenta crying out from behind me. I spun around, only to see Yukari going behind the boy, covering his eyes with her hands. Yukari put a finger to her lips, indicating silence. I grinned at her, nodding my head.

"Who's there?" Kenta asked, trying to twist around to catch the person. "I don't like not being able to see…"

"Guess who…?" Yukari asked in her deepest, manliest voice. I almost rolled my eyes. Despite how much she tried to disguise her voice, it was a piece of cake to figure out that it was her speaking. Her voice was so high-pitched and child-like. It was too cute, truly.

Kenta grinned. "Yukari!"

He lifted her hands from his face and turned around to tackle her. He probably meant it as a playful doggy-ish thing, but Yukari squealed and waved her wand, making round, heavy-looking containers drop from the sky. They repeatedly hit Kenta on the head.

"Hey, what was that for!" Kenta complained, rubbing his head.

"I should be asking you that!" Yukari panted, getting up. She held her wand in front of her protectively. "How dare you attack an innocent, defenseless young girl like me!"

Laughter came from the woods. "You? _Defenseless_? Trust me, Yukari, I have the bumps and bruises on my head to prove you wrong!"

Kurumu emerged from the forest with her pan. Piles of berries were stacked inside of it. I smiled; Kurumu's pan had really come in handy, after all. Mizore followed swiftly behind, carrying her own armful of fruits.

Yukari growled at Kurumu. "At least I didn't hit you were it would have hurt most, you big-boobed woman!"

Kurumu looked extremely ticked off, but remained calm. She closed her eyes and forced a twitchy smile. "You got that right, _little_ girl. I am a big-boobed _woman_. It's something you'll never experience."

Yukari opened her mouth to protest, but before she could I erupted into laughter. I didn't know these two for long, but they were hilarious… None of the students at my old school fought like this. I didn't even try to stop them or resolve their argument; I just sat there and laughed. Kurumu and Yukari both looked at me in surprise.

"Is something wrong?" Yukari asked, forgetting her comeback.

"Nothing," I answered, covering my mouth to stifle my laughter. "It's just… I love you guys. You're so funny."

Kurumu frowned, looking unsure of herself. "Usually, people would be holding us back and trying to stop us by now… Hmm, I never even thought of myself as funny. That just adds on to my marvelous traits, I guess~"

Moka and Tsukune then arrived. Both were carrying armfuls of food, and Tsukune even took off his school blazer to carry the berries in. A pang of guilt jolted through me.

"Hey, guys!" they called. "Look how much we brought!"

I laughed nervously, trying not to gulp (however much I felt like doing it). Gulping was for guilty people. "That's… wonderful."

Yukari hurried over, dragging her heavy, circular bin with her. "Put them in here! We'll sort out all the berries and fruits and stuff, and then wash them in the river."

Kiseki soon came, adding on to the pile of food. He brought enough to suffice two people, and I guess it was to cover for me. I felt all gloomy, and hung my head in shame. I was sure dark clouds were gathering right over my head; mushrooms must've been growing out of my hair.

"Mm, it's delicious!" Kenta helped himself, reaching forward and grabbing a fruit. "Have some, guys!" He shoved one at me.

I smiled, gingerly taking the fruit. I sincerely hoped they wouldn't question me about what I'd contributed.

"So, what happened to you all after we split?" Moka asked, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. She gathered a few berries into her palm, and was picking them out one by one. "Especially to Ame… No offense, but you look like you've been through some…"

"Trouble," Kiseki answered for her. "I was there for the last bit of it."

"Really?" Tsukune leaned forward, looking interested. "Then, should we all exchange stories over what happened on our fruit-hunt?"

"Yeah!" Kurumu agreed, "Although I doubt anyone's would be as exciting as mine. My skirt got caught on a low tree branch on the way back…"

"Her panties were blue with yellow stars on them," Mizore said helpfully, nibbling at her berry.

Yukari laughed. "Serves you right, Kurumu!"

"What did you say?" Kurumu leaned over to battle with Yukari.

Kenta, ignoring the commotion, said sheepishly: "I didn't really bring a lot of food here… I kind of ate them all on the way."

"I wish I had even _one_ berry to bring back," I sighed. I continued on to tell them about my experience, and where I got all my scratches and bruises from.

"Well, after all that's happened, I'm sure we understand you not being able to bring anything back," Tsukune said, laughing lightly. I smiled at him. He was just way too nice… Count on him to get me out of tight situations.

"It's ok anyway," Kiseki said. "I've got enough for both of us."

I smiled gratefully at him, but he avoided eye-contact. Kiseki was still the same as ever. I had thought he'd changed a little after what happened, but…

"I'm going to go wash my blazer off," Tsukune suddenly said, standing up. "It got kind of dirty from all the berry juice…"

We all nodded, and made way for him. However, the conversation didn't stop. We continued to exchange stories on our fruit-hunting experience. Kurumu even told me what happened last year at the Monster Durian Fruit Hunt! As "adventurous" as my experience was, I had to admit that that one took the prize. Count on Moka and the others to make everything exciting and ―

"Whoa!" we heard Tsukune cry. In unison, all of us spun around to see him scrambling backwards, away from the river.

"What happened?" Garron asked. Kurumu looked alarmed, and Yukari picked up her wand from the ground.

"It – something ate my blazer! A huge dark shadow under the water…!"

As soon as the last word came out of his mouth, the surface of the river broke open, creating a fountain of water that shoot water droplets down on us. Something big – and I meant _big _– erupted out of the river.

A thick, long, scaly neck twisted and turned, rising out of the water. Little, red, beady eyes stared down at us from the small head, and a forked tongue slithered out of the creature's mouth. This thing rose up and out of the water, and just its neck amounted to the length and thickness of three large buses stacked together, one on top of the other.

"Oh no!" Moka cried. She scrambled forwards to help, just as Tsukune was scrambling backwards to get away.

"It's some kind of water monster!" Yukari said, "It looks prehistoric…"

A thick, scaly tail broke through the surface of the water. The monster kept its gaze locked on Tsukune (probably because he was the one that went near the water), and was just about to send its thick scaly tail crashing down on him when ―

A bright, crimson light exploded from where Tsukune and Moka was, momentarily blinding me. My arms rose to shield my eyes, as I was forced backwards by the sheer energy that was let loose.

I heard Kiseki chuckle from behind me. "She's here."

As out of place as it was, I felt extremely confused about what he said. _Who_ was here?

The monster must have been temporarily thrown off track as well, for its neck twisted backwards as it tried to avoid direct eye-contact with the energy source. It was too late, though, as it seemed like the energy released wasn't going to fade. In fact, it seemed to get more powerful. It dimmed around us, and bats came flying out of nowhere and gathered at the energy source. I felt so fascinated by this… Although it was obvious that whatever gave off the energy was super-dangerous, it was still breathtakingly beautiful. As I squinted through the light, I could just make out the long billowing hair of…

Moka?

Just as sudden as it started, the transformation ended. The crimson light faded, and in Moka's place stood…

"Missed me, my little step-brother?" Moka – if it was even her – smirked at Kiseki. Her voice! It was so much deeper and colder… I simply gaped at her. Was she the Moka I knew? Was she the Moka that I went to when I sought comfort and help?

This fantastic creature had long, silver hair that covered her face just so, and when she looked at me… I would never forget the color of those blood-red eyes. Staring downwards a little bit, I realized that Moka's rosario choker was gone…

So this was what the others were talking about. The vampire Moka… "Inner" Moka.

"Ah," I said. That was all I was able to get out at the moment. "You… You're…"

"Stand back, Tsukune," Moka commanded. "And the others, too. This little fish must have been mad that Tsukune washed his clothes in its territory…" She snorted, unimpressed.

"Little… _little_ fish?" I squeaked, unable to believe what I was hearing. This Moka… she was completely different from the one just moments before! So much more confident and sure of herself…

Moka spared one quick glance at me before she backed up, taking long strides backwards.

"I'll greet you properly later, huh?" she said. "And all the other newcomers, too. First, I've got to…"

Moka ran forward, a silver blur that was barely visible. "…take care of…"

She then leaped up, unnaturally high, and landed on the sea creature's head, feet aimed at its vulnerable area. "…this!"

I doubted that just one kick would knock the monster out, but to my utter surprise, the thing sank down beneath the water, creating an enormous splash. It was defeated! Just like that!

Moka dusted her skirt off. "That took a lot less time than I thought it would. Now…"

Before she could continue, though, more heads broke out of the water. Even more of these lake monster things had arrived! They didn't hesitate even for a moment, though; they striked, aiming their heads at us. Their neck shot out like elastic, and we almost had no time to react before we would all be obliterated.

Moka grinded her teeth together, flying forwards to meet one of the monster head-on. She couldn't be everywhere at once, though; the rest of us were unprotected. Tons of these monsters were aiming at us! We had nowhere to hide, and nowhere to run. We wouldn't even make it in time to ―

"Stop!" I cried, leaping forwards. I swung my arms out, trying to cover as much distance as possible. I couldn't let those things hurt my friends… I had to protect them! I had to save them…!

I closed my eyes, waiting for the final blow. These monsters must've weighed a few tons… Just their head would be able to kill me. I squeezed my eyes tighter, an overwhelming sense of protectiveness welling up in me. It might be from my years of looking after my siblings, or my loyalty to my new friends… Whatever it was, it changed the whole situation.

"Ame!" Voices gasped in unison, as I just realized that my friends were still talking. If they were talking, then that must mean they were still alive…

I opened my eyes a crack, afraid of meeting one of the lake monsters eye-to-eye. I saw them, alright, but they weren't attacking… Instead, they hovered a few feet away from us, looking confused and perturbed. I was sure their expression mirrored my own. Just what had happened? How come they weren't attacking us anymore?

"Ame, look up." I looked sideways to see Kiseki. He nodded at me when my eyes met his, and, reassured, I obeyed his command. My eyes drifted upwards.

I didn't understand what I saw, at first. There was a large dome that encircled us, a semi-sphere that protruded out from the ground. I guess that must have been what kept the monsters away, but…

_Oh,_ I gasped. _This dome is a barrier!_

No, wait. This dome was _my_ barrier. That thought only struck me then, as I looked around to admire this translucent dome that held a golden glow. The golden sheen was the only way I was able to detect the dome's shape… or else my barrier was entirely transparent.

By the time I was done being fascinated with my creation, I realized that Moka had already knocked out all of the lake monsters. She was fast with her attacks.

"Wow, Ame, did you do this?" Kenta asked, looking at me. I shrugged helplessly. Honestly, I didn't know for sure myself. This had never happened before…

"I think it might be one of your angelic traits or powers," Yukari said, nodding her head. She went up right next to my barrier and reached out to touch it. Her hands came up against it, and when she pushed harder, it went through. I watched in fascination as Yukari experimented with my barrier, walking out of it. She turned around to walk back in, but bonked her nose against my shield. I could hear Kenta's badly-concealed giggles.

This was fun and all, but it was really unnerving to find everyone was staring at me. "Um…"

"I think it's time to get rid of your shield, now," Mizore said. "How will Moka and Yukari be able to get in?"

I nodded, but was unsure of how to proceed. I looked helplessly from one person to the next, but none of them said anything.

"Do you think you could put it down, maybe?" Garron asked.

"I don't know how," I whispered. I was starting to hyperventilate. What if no one else would be able to get back in? We could all get out and leave, but would I just leave my barrier here…?

"Try to relax, Ame," Garron instructed. "Relax, breathe, and concentrate on your barrier."

I closed my eyes, breathing deeply in and out, and followed Garron's orders.

"Try to imagine it falling, crumbling, fading, or breaking into pieces."

"Huh?"

"You know what I'm talking about, Ame," Garron answered. Very helpful. "Just imagine it gone one way or the other."

I tried to do just that. I pictured the barrier in my head, and mentally made it fade and disappear, starting from the top. Like it was being scanned, my barrier disappeared bit by bit as I worked downwards.

"That's good," Kurumu said. "You're getting there!"

"Go Ame!" Kenta shouted. I seriously needed to get this kid pom-poms or something… then I could have my own one-man cheerleading team.

When I finally opened my eyes, the barrier was completely gone. I breathed a sigh of relief, but suddenly found myself very dizzy and light-headed. I swooned (very attractive, I'm sure), and only avoided smacking onto the ground because Kiseki was behind me to catch my fall.

"I think that took a little energy out of me," I mumbled. "I'm gonna sit down for a while."

As I did so, I noticed Moka walking up to me.

"Very interesting," she said. "Your powers… they belong to those of an angel, do they not? And you demonic powers, as well…"

I couldn't help but shudder. Moka seemed like she was scheming something.

"I've decided," she announced. "I'm going to have you develop your skills. You clearly have potential, you just haven't been trained well."

I knew this. Most of the time I didn't even know what I was doing.

Tsukune, however, gulped. "Moka, that's a little harsh, don't you think? She's just a girl, a human one at that…"

I frowned at him. He seemed to know something about this that I didn't…

"I'll go easy on her," Moka replied. "Don't worry; it won't be _quite_ as painful as your training."

Now it was _my_ turn to gulp.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong>

Hello again~

Hope you enjoyed this chapter. I couldn't stop smiling when I wrote the last bit, though… I can just picture Moka acting all confident and making the decisions, while Tsukune's sweating nervously in the corner! xD

I know that Ame's "angel vs. demon" powers haven't quite developed, and I'm sure most of you probably think it's gonna get quite boring. Like, what was the point of making Ame have powers in the first place if she doesn't use them?

Aha, it's because I've been saving that up till now ;) Truthfully, I couldn't find a really good way to get Ame to train herself (because, seriously, she's just a confused human. She wouldn't know _how_, even if she wanted to), so I thought: Why not let Moka-san herself do it? x)

Well, see you guys in the next chapter! :D

― ACookieZ


	16. Chapter 16: Survival Test Part IV

**Angel vs. Demon**

Chapter 16 – Survival Test Part IV (Trap!)

"I'm hungry," Kenta stated, pouting and putting a hand to his stomach. As if on cue, everyone else's stomach growled.

"Again?" Kurumu asked, raising an eyebrow. "Sheesh, you eat more than I do… and that's saying something. I don't eat a lot, really; I just love to munch on things…"

"Like cookies?" Mizore asked, poking at the ground with a stick.

Kurumu groaned. "No, please, don't remind me of that… anything but that. It's bad enough that I could only bring a pan…"

"But we could use your pan to cook something," Yukari said. "We still have to eat dinner, after all."

After the lake monster incident, we've resorted to staying in the forest, in a clean meadow. Moka and the others even started weaving grass and leaves together to make pillows! After a few hours of doing that, we realized we had skipped lunch, and, from the darkening of the sky, it should almost be dinner-time.

"We'll have to hunt something," Kiseki suddenly said a-matter-of-factly.

My brows furrowed in doubt. "Like… with a bow and arrow? We'll have to hunt for live animals?"

"I'm good at that," Garron said confidently. "I hunt animals all the time…"

I shivered. I really didn't want to see Garron when he's hunting… The thought of killing animals alone was bad enough. Yes, call me a tree-hugger or a sucker for animals, but what else was I supposed to feel when I've been surrounded by pets and animals (or animal-like siblings) my whole life?

"Want to come, Ame?" Garron asked, looking at me hopefully. He must have turned to me because he thought I felt comfortable with his hunting and "eating habits", but I had to refuse. When I shook his head, a flicker of sadness and disappointment flashed across Garron's face.

"I'll come!" Yukari said, picking up her wand. "I can tell you if the animal's dangerous or edible or not… We can also collect a few mushrooms along the way."

"Good idea," Kenta said. "I'll come too!"

Yukari glowered at him. "Are you stalking me now?"

Kenta blushed. "No, nothing like that… I just thought, you know, I might be of help…"

"Ok, that's decided, then…" Kurumu got up, patting her skirt. "While you guys go do that, we can have jobs of our own. Who's good at fishing here?"

Tsukune raised his hand before answering. "I used to, with my dad. But that was when I was little…"

"Oh, that's wonderful!" Kurumu exclaimed, grinning. She threw herself at him, clinging to his arm. "We can go together, then…! I'll look for fish from succubus-eye-view, and you can help me spear then with a stick~"

"_That's_ how you're going to fish?" I asked skeptically. I'd only ever imagined cavemen doing that…

"Oh, it'll be easy!" Kurumu assured, rolling her eyes.

"But it'll also be dangerous, like with the lake monsters before…" Moka pointed out.

Kurumu sighed, leaning against Tsukune. "Then my darling Tsukune will protect me! Wouldn't you, Tsukune?" She puckered her lips at him, while he leaned away and laughed uneasily.

Moka huffed. "Then I'm going too!"

"What! You're trying to annoy me on purpose, aren't you?" Kurumu protested. "Why are you ruining my date with Tsukune?"

Tsukune scratched his head, confused. "Since when was this a date…?"

While all this was happening, Mizore just stood silently behind Tsukune, poking at his back and pulling at his sleeve.

Leaving those three to argue (with Mizore occasionally adding in a word or two), Kiseki swiftly got up and headed out of the little meadow. Getting up as well, I quickly followed him.

"Where are you going?" I asked him, jogging to catch up.

"We're never going to have dinner at this rate," he muttered, slowing down slightly so that I wouldn't have to run. "I'm going to hunt for my own food, and perhaps collect a few wood and branches for fire. We'll have to cook the fish and meat, won't we?"

I raised my eyebrows in surprise. "You're… pretty smart."

Kiseki chuckled. "You just noticed? Shows how intelligent _you_ are, huh?"

I scowled, ignoring his comment. Together, we walked silently through the forest, side by side. I still hadn't managed to talk to him properly after the pixie incident, but I was determined not to bring that up again. It was too embarrassing for me.

"What are you going hunt?" I asked him, bending down to grab a few stones and pebbles for the fire. I carefully wiped them off with my sleeve and tucked them into my arm.

"A rabbit, a squirrel, or a deer or two,"

"A deer?" I gasped in disbelief. "You know we're not going to eat that much, right? And especially not a whole deer. Besides, isn't hunting deer illegal?"

Kiseki snorted. "Survival is first, Ame. How else are we supposed to fill ourselves?"

I bit my lip, deciding. "Just rabbits and squirrels are fine, then…"

He shook his head. "You're too soft."

"Am not!"

"Am too."

"Am not!" I objected, and then quickly added, "Times infinity!"

Kiseki laughed at my childishness, but then quickly froze. Slowly turning around, he put a finger to his lips, indicating silence. I cocked my head at him, a look of confusion on my face. He shook his head, and then tilted it to his left. I followed his indication, and saw a fat grey rabbit nibbling at a plant not far from where we were. My eyes widened, and when I looked back at Kiseki, he was already crouched in a pouncing-position.

Suddenly, something rustled overhead. Looking up, I noticed a squirrel climbing the branches in the tree above us. _Perfect_, I thought. _Just the two animals that we wanted to catch… _But I hesitated, debating with myself. There was only one way to end this; catch one or the other. It couldn't be both. If Kiseki caught the squirrel, he'd have to leap up onto the tree branches or something, and that would definitely scare the rabbit away. If he went for the rabbit, though, then the squirrel would be alerted and immediately escape.

It wouldn't be a win-win situation either way, but I really wanted to catch both animals for dinner. I whispered this to Kiseki, leaning down next to his ear. He hesitated momentarily, taking what I had said into consideration, but then shook his head.

In a flash, he was gone. It was like when he was fighting the monster to save me when I first came to Yokai Academy; he was running at light-speed. I stood there in awe, unable to fully appreciate what I was seeing because, well, I saw nothing. Kiseki had all but disappeared with his superpowers.

A heartbeat later he was back again, right in front of me, carrying both a dead rabbit and squirrel in his left hand.

"Well?" he said, "You didn't need to worry about that, now, did you?"

I managed a smile, practically having to strap my curiosity in a straitjacket. I was itching to know about his powers and his true form, but I wasn't going to pry. There were the school rules, first of all, and Kiseki also didn't seem to like talking about himself.

"You were amazing," I said instead. "I wish I was that fast…"

"It's not something you'd wish you had," Kiseki suddenly said. "Not with the consequences it comes with."

I became silent, and stared down at the ground. I knew he'd be like this… Was his past really that bad, or did he just not trust me enough?

"Ame…" Kiseki sounded regretful. His fingers went under my chin, about to tilt my face up to look at him in the eyes when ―

"You!" Something burst out of the bushes from right behind me. A hand gripped my arm tightly, while another came around to lock me in place on my shoulder. My eyes widened in shock as whoever held me yanked me backwards, sending a jolt of pain to that shoulder.

The guy behind me took his hand off of my arm, and I was about to take this chance to rip out of his grasp and escape when something cold and sharp pressed against my throat. I stilled immediately. I thought it was a knife at first, but, looking down, I realized that it was his fingernail… or, should I say, _claw. _They were sharp and curved, and had a nasty glint to them. He pointed one right under my chin.

Kiseki's jaw clenched as he glared at the guy. He forced these words out of his mouth: "What do you want?"

"Give me the two animals you have there," the guy said. His voice was deep and raspy, and I shuddered as his breath warmed the top of my head. "Or the girl dies."

Kiseki opened his mouth to reply, but I cut him off.

"What's so important about the animals?" I asked, relaxing slightly as my voice managed to stay even. It didn't crack, thank God. "Are you really going to kill someone over food? Can't you hunt for yourself?"

The guy pressed his fingernail tighter against my throat. I winced.

"Shut up, b*tch. You know nothing! My girlfriend's been sick since this morning, bitten by one of those stupid poisonous snakes, and she can't even hunt for herself. I can barely manage to catch my own prey, let alone feed her. Nobody's been willing to help, and she's on the verge of dying! I have to get food to her, or else!"

I relaxed against his grip, ignoring the pain on my throat. This poor guy… and his poor girlfriend! It was sad that he had to resort to threats and murder to get what he wanted, but he was in a panic. How could I not let him take the food? Kiseki could probably replace the two with tons more; we could afford to share some.

"Take it!" I told him. "It's ok, we'll help. We won't let your girlfriend die."

I looked at Kiseki. "Kiseki, please give it to him…!"

Kiseki hesitated, his eyes narrowing. I wanted to scream at him. What was there to wait for? This guy wanted to kill me just for a scrap of food! Could Kiseki be selfish enough not to give him any?

"You heard the girl," the guy behind me said. I could hear the victory in his voice. "Give me the food, _now_."

"Not until you release the girl first," Kiseki objected.

"You dare to bargain with me?" the guy asked. His voice grew raspier… until I was sure he was hissing.

"Kiseki, hurry, please give it to him!" I begged. "How hard can it be to catch another rabbit?"

"No, you don't get it," he said, shaking his head. "He might not agree to hand you over afterwards!"

That shut me up. But I was still so confused… What reason did the guy behind me have _not _to hand me over? He would get what he wanted! Plus he had his dying girlfriend to think about!

"Hurry up, buddy, or the girl dies!"

"Fine," Kiseki relented. He threw the dead animals on the ground, right in between him and the guy holding me.

"What's this supposed to mean?" the guy hissed. "Pick it up right now!"

"No," Kiseki replied in a sure voice. "You come get it yourself. Right here, in the middle. Come get it, and release the girl."

I felt the guy behind me toss back his head and laugh.

"That won't work, genius," he said. Something scaly and green slithered out from behind me. It reached the animals and twisted around them, squeezing them and picking them up. Slowly, the snake-like thing dragged them back… towards me and the guy.

"My tail comes in handy," the guy chuckled. "Now what are you going to do? I have the animals, and your girl. If you make one move towards me, I slit her throat. I don't mind my prey dead or alive, really… as long as they're still fresh."

Kiseki smiled menacingly. "Then I won't hold back."

"Huh?"

Before the guy could make any sense of what Kiseki meant, he was knocked backwards. His grip on me immediately released, and I sprinted forward, away from him. I turned around to see what had become of the guy, and saw that he was knocked several yards backwards, breaking through many trees in the process.

Kiseki stood beside the rabbit and the squirrel, picking them up and patting them down nonchalantly, as if nothing had happened.

"Took less than a flick to knock that guy out," Kiseki sighed, walking towards me. "How pathetic."

"You didn't have to do that," I frowned, swallowing the fear that rose up in my throat. Killing seemed like second nature to Kiseki. "He just wanted to save his girlfriend."

"Ha!" Kiseki snorted. "You actually believe that? He couldn't hunt his own food, and probably wanted some free samples and a main course. He called you his _prey_, Ame. I could tell he was lying all along… that phony hurt face."

"Still… how would you know?"

Kiseki ignored my question. "You know, you should be more careful, Ame… it's so easy to fool you. I think perhaps you really do need Moka's training… Although it's quite harsh, you can at least protect yourself."

"Stop trying to change the subject, Kiseki. About his girlfriend-"

"His girlfriend's not real," Kiseki said, shaking his head. "And if she is, he probably killed her already."

"What?"

"The crap about being bit by a poisonous snake? I think it was his doing. He looked like a basilisk monster, with that tail and face. You probably didn't see his head, since he was holding you captive…"

"Oh," was all I could say. I frowned, but decided to let it go. The guy behind us was beyond our help, anyway…

I had collected a few more sticks and stones for fire, and Kiseki and I headed back to our campsite. When we got there, though, I could tell we were late; everyone was already present, with a stack of food gathered in the middle of the clearing.

"You're late!" Kurumu cried. She always seemed to take charge when it came to making food and eating it. "Everyone's waiting for you!"

"Yeah… and none of us could start a fire!" Tsukune added sadly.

"I did, with my magic wand, but it was kind of too much... I burnt up a whole patch of grass." Yukari laughed sheepishly, pointing over to the other side of the meadow where a large circular shape covered in ashes was.

"Let me try!" Kenta cried, grabbing a few sticks. He rubbed them together, with his cap on askew and his tongue sticking out of his mouth in concentration. The sight was just too cute and hilarious… I couldn't help but laugh.

Kiseki, however, sighed and tossed the rabbit and squirrel onto the food pile, then took some of the rocks I had. He bent down, flicking them together. Sparks flew, and he quickly lighted a tree branch with it. He tossed the flaming branch into the stick pile, and arranged the rocks around it.

"Kiseki, you're amazing!" Moka praised. "No wonder you're my brother!"

"Just hurry up and cook the meat, will you?" he asked, plopping down beside me. "I'm sure we're all starving."

It was disgusting work, but we managed to skin the animals and cut their meat with a sharp-edged stone. I didn't have the heart to skin the rabbits or the squirrels, so I stayed back and watched as the others did it, bringing my knees up to my chin and wrapping my arms around them.

The fish Kurumu, Tsukune, and Moka caught were much easier to cook, I must say. As a side dish, we ate grilled mushrooms and a salad made out of leaves and plants. It was enough to fill our stomachs, and we all collapsed on the ground next to the campfire, satisfied.

"It's already very dark, isn't it?" Yukari asked, staring up at the night sky. Stars twinkled overhead, millions and millions of them. I looked up at them and thought of home.

_The stars that we see are the same, aren't they?_ I thought to myself. _The stars in both the human world, and the monster world._

For some weird reason, tears started to prick at my eyes. Gosh, I couldn't believe I was getting homesick! It couldn't be denied, however. I missed the rowdy family dinners I had, all my little siblings, my pets, and of course my parents. Although I never saw them much (they were always busy working to support us), I hoped they were doing well.

"Well," Moka said, interrupting my thoughts. "We should get ready to go to bed, shouldn't we? I've got the pillows done…"

"You're right," Garron said. "I'm totally worn out."

Kenta yawned. That was enough to get us all up on our feet. We arranged our sleeping areas, and added more wood to the fire.

"We should have people keeping watch," Kiseki said. He briefly explained what had happened before, with the basilisk monster trying to steal me and our food. "It's safer."

"Ok, well, we'll each have an hour shift then," Tsukune said. "Is that alright, everyone?"

We all agreed, and Mizore volunteered to go first. She said she wasn't really tired; she'd stayed up much later stalking people. What a shocker.

I sighed contently as I lay down on the soft grass, facing the night sky. I was still only human with some powers like a wannabe monster, but I felt like I truly belonged here. These people… they were as close to me as family.

Closing my eyes, I prayed for a happy night's rest without any disturbances or nightmares.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong>

Hey y'all!

I originally had a completely different idea for this chapter, but things turned out differently… x) I usually let my stories flow; I change many things along the way, as needs be. Oh well, I hope you enjoyed this chapter~

Not much to say here… *awkward silence*

Oh, but the night doesn't end here! They don't just wake up the next morning, bright and early, and happily head back to the Yokai Academy school grounds. Hahaha, I won't give anything away, though… no spoilers ;)

Thank you all for reading! I hope you enjoy the next few chapters.

― ACookieZ


	17. Chapter 17: Survival Test Part V

**Angel vs. Demon**

Chapter 17 – Survival Test Part V (Complicated Past)

"_Welcome back, Ame…"_

_Ah, I'm having the dream again. How I hated the dream…_

_Recently, though, I started to have a really bad feeling about this. The dark walls were closing in; they weren't exactly suffocating me yet, but they were beginning to. The black nothingness came closer towards me every dream… And this voice was behind it all._

"_Go away," I said to no one in particular. "Leave me alone! This is _my_ dream!"_

"_My, my… aren't we getting a little touchy?" The voice chuckled, not amused. "But you did well today, my dear… although you developed your angel abilities as well. That's a shame."_

_My non-existent heart stopped beating. This was supposed to be a dream, right…? If so, how did this voice know all this?_

"_I know everything, Ame. If you'd only listen to me, you could become just as powerful…"_

_"Never," I thought, my mind set. The voice so obviously wanted me to join the dark side._

"_Oh, you will regret what you just said." The voice sighed in annoyance, as if talking to an irritating five-year-old. "Moka will aid me greatly in this project… although she doesn't know it yet. Moka's so powerful, isn't she? If she was more vulnerable and less righteous, I could have used her instead of you." _

"_Stop it!" I said. I wanted to block this voice out, but I had no idea how. "Don't you dare harm Moka…"_

_The voice laughed in amusement. "Made a new friend, have we? But you must realize your status, mere human. I have nothing against you personally, Ame… You're just too different from me. Once you've brought out your powers and reached your full potentials, though, then I'll reconsider. Then, you'll be ready for me…"_

* * *

><p>My eyes flew open, and I tried to steady my rapid breathing. I just laid down on the grass and stared at my night sky for a few minutes. It was starting to turn light, and I was sure we'd all have to get up in a few hours. Right now, however, I concentrated on the even breathing of my friends around me. I had to get over this… I couldn't let my stupid nightmares rule my life. But these dreams were starting to happen more and more frequently recently. And was it just me, or did the voice sound more powerful with each dream?<p>

I mentally slapped myself. I couldn't think about that now… Getting up, I tip-toed over towards Moka. I stared down at her for a few seconds, just to make sure she was okay. The rise and fall of her chest was steady and even, and the wind blew strands of her long, thin hair over her face. She looked so innocent and vulnerable sleeping like this… It made me angry that the voice would even suggest such a thing as to use Moka.

I couldn't sleep now. The nightmare had gotten to me, as much as I hate to admit it, and I didn't want to fall back asleep just to risk having another one again. Instead, I walked quietly over towards the campfire. Kiseki was sitting there, faced towards the flames. His strong, confident support was probably what I needed most right now.

"Hey, Kiseki…" I whispered, huddling down next to him. I tucked my knees in and put my chin on top of them, trying to make myself comfortable.

"Ame," he said simply, acknowledging me. He paused for a brief moment, and then asked, "Is something wrong?"

I smiled wryly. "You always see right through me. You're right, though… but it's nothing serious."

He turned towards me, eyebrow raised.

"I just had a bad dream, that's all." I mumbled.

Kiseki laughed silently. "Since when were you such a big baby?"

I glared at him, though not really angry. "It's been happening more often recently… and the dreams are all basically the same thing. It's really creepy."

"Hmm…" Kiseki hesitated, then put his arm around my shoulders. "Does this help?"

My eyes widened in surprise. I held my breath in and tried not to move too much, scared that his arm might suddenly disappear. My heart soared; for once, my friendship with everyone seemed to be complete. Kiseki opening up a bit might just make my stay here at Yokai Academy a whole lot better…

"You know, I really like it here," Kiseki voiced my thoughts. He probably thought that talking to me would keep me from remembering my nightmare, and I let him. I wasn't really in the mood to talk, but I was in the mood to listen.

"Um…" I said, suddenly remembering something. "I just wanted to tell you that I'm really thankful towards you, Kiseki. You know, if you weren't here, I probably wouldn't be alive right now."

"True," Kiseki said. I smiled inwardly; he was still as blunt as ever.

"But sometimes, you know, I feel like you still don't trust me," I said. I knew this was a forbidden topic, but I was feeling curious; I had to get to the bottom of it one way or another. "I still don't know anything about you…"

Kiseki didn't answer, and the silence lasted for a good few minutes before he cleared his throat and said: "Back at home, people always fussed over me because I was the 'special little master'… They acted based on what _they_ thought, and didn't really listen to what I had to say, or what _I_ thought." He glanced at me. "I guess you opened my eyes a little. I was on my way to being spoiled, but…"

"You _are_ spoiled. Sometimes."

"Gee, thanks."

I laughed quietly at that. After a moment of silence, Kiseki continued.

"I know I'm not supposed to tell anyone this at school… but you know that I'm a vampire, right?"

My blood turned cold. I had seen all the signs that screamed, "Hello! Vampire!" but I had refused to believe it. Didn't vampires, what, drink the blood of humans and bite people? They were dark, evil creatures, weren't they…? They were scarier than most monsters.

"No…" I replied, gritting my teeth. I suddenly became very aware of the arm around my shoulders, and how it belonged to an actual vampire. I told myself to calm down. If Kiseki didn't hurt me before, he wasn't going to now.

"Oh, well… I thought it was pretty obvious. I mean, with me drinking blood and tomato juice and all…"

If my blood turned cold before, it must have frozen now. I suddenly recalled him sipping his red drink every morning at breakfast…

"I thought what you were drinking was cranberry juice," I squeaked.

Kiseki laughed. "It's hilarious how dense you are."

My brows furrowed and I glared at him.

"Don't worry, though… I'm not going to hurt you." He smiled faintly at me, as if to show me that he meant no harm.

"Really…?"

"Really. Now that I'm out of my house, a.k.a. my torture place, I don't feel so angry all the time. I feel like… I feel that you guys are actually my friends."

I relaxed. Taking in a small breath of air and holding it, I nestled closer towards Kiseki. He wasn't going to abuse his vampire powers and hurt me, I was sure of that now. I felt kind of bad, knowing I was wary of him before. But I was still human… and he was a vampire. I guess there _were_ reasons to be wary…?

"Well, we _are_ your friends." I grinned at him, looking past what he was (and what _I_ was), and he grinned back.

"I know that now. I didn't think I knew before, though. I mean, the vampires back home all pressured me into these things; they wanted me close because of my status and power… I didn't think I could trust anyone."

I felt for him just then, I truly did. I could only begin to imagine what he had gone through.

"They pressured you…?" I asked.

Kiseki laughed bitterly. "Because they knew I was a high-class, 'special' vampire, they wanted me to hunt down humans with them to prove something. They thought that just because of my status, I would do something like that with them."

I froze. I thought I even forgot how to breathe. "You didn't though… right? No hunting humans?"

"No hunting humans," Kiseki promised. "I only ever drank supplements and donated blood. But sucking the fresh blood of a human is like a delicacy to vampires, you know? Like humans drinking wine, kind of. Some vampires do find a mate to get their blood from, though... but it's much more intimate and civilized than stalking strangers and taking their blood. Only savage vampires really hunt down humans and drain them of their fluids."

Kiseki shook his head, and then continued. "When I didn't do what anyone asked of me, though, everyone thought I was a jerk. That included my family and friends, too. They acted like they _had_ to be nice to me and stuff, just because I was the only male vampire child in my generation. They made it seem like I was intimidating. It was really stupid."

"Wow…" I was speechless, just then.

"Yeah, tell me about it. I think it was partly my fault, though… I turned really bitter and all and everyone _did_ get a little scared at me."

I almost rolled my eyes. Scared? I bet they were terrified.

"Still… I felt miserable, you know? Stuck in one place, having the same routines day after day... And my mother, she died when I was still very young, so that didn't help my situation much either. My father was always away on businesses, and the maids and servants were just horrible." Kiseki paused, and then shook his head. "I don't even know why I'm telling you this, even though you asked first. This is all… wow. Okay, I'll stop now."

"No, actually, it was nice hearing this from you." I smiled and patted his hand. I felt like I was back home, listening to my siblings rant about their troubles. I'd always comfort them afterwards, just like I was doing now.

"Now I feel like I know Kiseki just a little bit better." I said.

Kiseki smiled, but towards the end his smile kind of faltered. He looked down at my hand, and I quickly took it back. I guess it was a wrong move… I shouldn't have touched him. His arm was enough, surely. I felt like he needed comforting, though. I was in my big-sister mode.

So, it got quite awkward after that. We ended up just staring at each other. Then, slowly, Kiseki leaned into me…

I thought he was going to kiss me. I didn't know what to do! I mean, he wasn't bad-looking or anything, and he wasn't a mean person… It was just that I didn't think he'd be the type of guy to start kissing anyone. And even if he did, what would I do about it?

I closed my eyes, and waited for it…

The kiss never came. If it did, it wasn't on the lips. Kiseki had leaned into me… into my _neck_. He opened his mouth and nipped me below the chin, right above my collarbone. My eyes flew open, and it was all I could do not to smack him. Instead, I pushed him away.

"What the hell, Kiseki? What did you do that for?" I had to remind myself to keep my voice down, or else I would wake everyone.

I clutched the collar of my uniform, trying to cover up my exposed neck. Was Kiseki really a pervert or something? Did he put his arms around me and talk to me about his troubles just to… just to do this?

Kiseki looked dumbfounded and pretty shocked himself. "Uh…"

"Ok, _I_ should be the one saying that."

Kiseki didn't answer back. Instead, he just stared at my neck… It was really unnerving.

"What…?" I put my hands up to my neck, and finally got why he was staring at it. There were bite marks on it… bite marks. From _fangs_.

"Wha-what…?" I started stuttering, and I wished right then that I had a mirror so I would be able to assess the damages.

Kiseki reached out to me. "I-I'm sorry… I didn't mean to… I mean, it was my first time biting anyone…"

This was the first time I had ever heard him officially apologize to anyone with such a sincere, apologetic look on his face… Nevertheless, I wouldn't accept it.

"No, Kiseki…" I started to scoot backwards, away from him. He was a monster, wasn't he? He could do just about anything he wanted, with those powers of his. I was helpless. And now, he had turned me into a vampire. I was going to turn into a real monster soon! "No, please… don't come any closer. You might not have meant to do it, but… you bit me. I thought you said you weren't like those other vampires! I thought you promised not to hurt me…!"

The marks really did hurt. For about like the first few seconds - now all I felt was a sweet, numbing sensation. I was still in shock, though… the only time I was ever bitten by a person was when my little brother stuck my fingers in his mouth back when he was two. This, this was different. This was fatal.

"Ame…! Listen to me, please. You're the only one who understands, all right? I'm not venomous if I don't give you my blood. I… don't know what came over me. I'm sorry…!"

"It's… It's ok." I struggled to breathe, to accept his apology. I knew I was freaking out, but I had to try to understand him. It was like he said… nobody else did. He was counting on me; I couldn't betray his trust.

"Ame…" Kiseki looked relieved, but he didn't fully lower his guard yet. He knew that I didn't either. "I promise I won't do this again, ever. You just smelled so good, I…"

I flinched. It's because I was human, wasn't it? It was because that I was a human and he was a monster that this all happened. Yet, strangely, I felt as if he had complimented me… nobody ever told me I smelled good before. I guess, in his own weird vampire way, he did compliment me.

"It'll heal soon," Kiseki said. "Don't worry; it's not like in movies. You won't turn into my minion or anything. It won't even leave a scar…"

I felt relieved. Kurumu and the others had told me before that Moka always bit Tsukune on the neck… but I'd never seen it myself. Now I wasn't sure I _wanted_ to see it.

Kiseki sighed. "The sun's coming up. We'll have to wake everyone soon…"

"You're right," I said, rubbing my neck. I decided to forget about this incident. Kiseki was my friend; I had to trust him. Together, we went around the clearing, shaking people's shoulders and tapping them on their heads.

I hesitated when I reached Kurumu, though. Somehow, during the night, she had sneaked away from the female sleeping area and now had her arms wrapped around Tsukune's chest. I doubted she sleepwalked, though. I smiled, feeling embarrassed for her, but decided to wake her anyway. If I woke Tsukune up first, he would probably fluster and freak out at the sight of Kurumu sleeping next to him…

"Don't worry," Mizore suddenly said groggily. She sat up and rubbed her eyes. "Go ahead and wake them. Kurumu's done that before… it's not the first time this has happened."

I frowned, but decided not to ask. There was so much I didn't know… and so much I didn't _want _to know.

When we were all up, we decided to make our way near the school gates, and gather a few fruits and berries along the way. Nobody said much… we were all so tired. Even Kenta was silent for most of the way. Halfway there, the whistle blew. Birds blasted through the treetops at the noise, and many cries of victory could be heard in the distance.

I don't know how a whistle as small as Ms. Nekonome's could possibly be heard in such a vast forest, but it echoed clear across the woods like it was magnified. I didn't care whether it was a whistle, a bark, or even a donkey's bray… That sound marked the end of the Survival Test, and it was just so welcomed.

Kenta, reenergized, jumped up and pumped his fist in the air.

"It's finally over…!" Tsukune said, relief clear in his voice. All of a sudden, Kurumu's spirits rose.

"Yes!" she cried, "My soft, comfy bed! Here I come!"

Everyone voiced their agreement as we half-ran towards the sound of the whistle, exiting the forest. We met swarms of students along the way, each looking tired and worn out. Some were even nursing wounds. I was sure everyone had gone through a great ordeal… Compared to others, our adventure might even seem like nothing.

Ms. Nekonome, up at the front in her usual place on top of the great boulder, waved her speakerphone in the air.

"Hello, students of Yokai Academy!" she announced enthusiastically. "Welcome back from the Survival Test! I'm sure many of you have been through trials and tortures, and I'm delighted on your behalf to announce that it has officially ended!"

A loud cheer went up in the crowd. Those who were able to move jumped and threw their hands up in the air. Many, I saw, were on stretchers…

_Wow, people have gone through situations much worse than us,_ I thought. Yukari noticed that I was looking concerned and told me, "Don't worry… Monsters heal a lot faster than humans! We're tough."

I smiled at her, reassured.

"You may all go back to the school campus," Ms. Nekonome continued. "Everyone can have the day off today! If you're hurt, wounded, or maimed, please get someone to report to the infirmary. Doctors and nurses are all at hand!"

Everyone started to disperse, and soon only the wounded ones were left. Nurses and medical workers attended to them, carrying them back to the infirmary.

"Well, that was quite fun," Garron said. "I'm glad it's all over, though…"

"Me too," I said. "I'm so tired… and hungry. Why don't we all head to the cafeteria?"

Everyone gave their consent, and together – like the group of friends we are – we made our way to the cafeteria.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong>

Hi people…!

So yup, the Survival Test has finally ended. It was a good, long, five-part event… I'm glad it's done now! x)

This chapter pretty much covered Kiseki's past. Being an only child (and an only male one at that) must be very demanding. I'm not an only child (both fortunately and unfortunately :/), so I can only imagine…

Still, it's hard for him to spill his guts, so you have to be patient with Kiseki! x) I'm really tempted to make a short story just on Kiseki's past in his POV, but… I'm retraining myself for now :P This is my first priority~!

― ACookieZ


	18. Chapter 18: Training Session 1

**Angel vs. Demon**

Chapter 18 – Training Session #1

I was never one to hum in the shower, and I didn't do so then. I let the warm water glide down my back as I closed my eyes. It felt so nice to be back in my dorm room… The Survival Test was torturous. It made me truly appreciate what I had.

Although I was physically tired, my mind was on a roll. I had plenty to think about… like what Kiseki said about his past, about Inner Moka and her training, and about my dream. I knew I was silly for worrying too much on that last subject, but it had been bothering me non-stop. The dreams were getting worse (as Lucy had once predicted in a knowing tone), and by worse I mean more vivid.

About what the voice said, though… I was pretty sure it was all part of my nightmare. No matter how scary and uncanny they seemed, they were just dreams; it had nothing to do with my reality. Moka was safe (nobody would use her, I'd make sure of it), I wasn't suffocated in a black wall of nothingness, and my body was intact. I was pretty sure of that… considering I was in the bath and all

However, a little voice in the back of my head kept on nagging me to pursue this subject. It felt like the same one that I seldom listened to… the goody-goody one. But I couldn't be sure. The voice was getting weaker, and my head hurt if I tried to make any sense out of what it was trying to tell me.

Automatically, my mind moved on to the next subject.

What did I think of Kiseki's past? And his true form? I felt extremely remorseful about it, honestly… I hadn't reacted quite as well to that as I had when Garron revealed his powers. It made me want to kick myself; Kiseki probably thought I favored Garron over him. While that may be true to some extent, it still didn't make me feel any better about the situation.

_What am I saying?_ I chastised myself in my head. Kiseki probably had it far worse than Garron! By now, I had caught on that Moka's family was a pretty royal/wealthy one… and Kiseki's expectations must've been great. He must have been so miserable, being stuck in his mansion, listening to the meaningless words offered to him and staring out the window all day. All because he was born as the only male Shuzen vampire in his family!

I shook my head. I had to meet up with Kiseki as soon as possible, and continue this conversation. Even though I couldn't turn back the clock and change his past, the least I could do was listen to his woes and share his burden with him. If he shared it with me, then he wouldn't feel quite as bad about it anymore. And that would have made me feel better.

Now that I felt satisfied with my decision, I thought about Inner Moka. My breath was still taken away as I looked back and pictured her transformation… words couldn't do it justice. But to tell you the truth, Inner Moka herself was far more amazing. Anyone within viewing-range of her would tremble under her sheer power; it felt _right_ to just bow down to her. As I'm sure many monsters did.

I smiled to myself as I thought about how Moka would feel about that. She had stayed out for a little longer than usual after she had defeated the monsters, I remembered, and she'd greeted us. Kenta was all over her, gushing about her transformation and on her attacks. How had she defeated the monsters in the blink of an eye? How did she move so fast so that she couldn't be seen, yet make her attacks a thousand times stronger than an average monster?

Moka had looked annoyed at all of Kenta's pestering, but I could tell she sort of enjoyed it. Being the big sister out of all the relatives in my generation (I was the oldest in my family, as well as my extended family), I could easily see through her tough-girl act. I knew she couldn't resist Kenta's charm, just like the rest of us.

Inner Moka had viewed me with interest, at least. I guess we weren't exactly on close terms (she had only just met me, after all), but it still felt weird to be looked at like a lab rat. At least, that's what it felt like when Moka was studying me. I shuddered at the memory, despite the warm water running down my body. One could never tell what was going on in her head…

_Hmm…_ I thought, _At least she didn't look at me the way she looked at Garron._

I had felt bad for Garron before, back when we were near the lake. Moka acknowledged him, but didn't so much as give him a decent greeting. She had looked at him in such a way… almost like he was shifty. I guess I couldn't blame her; I doubted she knew Garron's true powers. No wonder she'd felt uneasy about him.

As I went through everything in my head, I got out of the shower and dried myself. I paused in front of the mirror, with a towel wrapped around me, and hesitated. Reaching out slowly, I touched my reflection in the mirror.

_You are Ame, _I told myself firmly in my head. _Not angel-demon-hybrid Ame, or non-existent-and-trying-to-escape-from-a-dream Ame. Just Ame._

I studied my face in the mirror, trying to memorize it. I knew I probably looked crazy, like I was some self-centered narcissist studying my oh-so-perfect reflection as if I knew who I was and how beautiful I looked, but it was actually the complete opposite. I was terrified of losing myself. After everything that I'd gone through, keeping myself sane had been the hardest thing to do. The only thing that had kept me rooted firmly in the ground was my friends. They had stood by me and rescued me when I was in times of need, and the only thing I could repay them with was to stay myself. To stay Ame.

Sighing, I quickly exited the washroom, closing the door behind me. I couldn't waste any more time; it was almost 2:30, and Moka had said to be ready at 3:00.

Yup, we had a date.

Not a lesbian date, but a training session. My stomach twisted and turned inside of me as I tried not to crumble under the weight of those two words: _training session_. Tsukune had stood by my side much longer than usual today. He had talked to – and even bribed – Moka on my behalf, saying that he could find someone else to train me, or to wait until I was stronger and more comfortable with my powers.

"Are you saying that I'm not enough?" Inner Moka had asked indignantly. "Am I not suited to train Ame? And what is this you speak of – waiting until she is stronger or more comfortable! How will she ever be if we don't train her?"

Tsukune had been flustered, and immediately tried to backpedal.

I shook my head as I buttoned up my freshly-washed blouse. What was the use of thinking back on that? I had to go through with it anyway, whether I was ready or not. There was just no defying Inner Moka.

When I was all ready, I checked the clock and found that I still had ten more minutes to spare. I went into the kitchen and opened a can of Friskies for Midnight. I had missed her terribly, and although I'm sure that Ruby had pampered her more than enough, I wanted to give her a little extra something while I was out for the next few hours. I would also be staying outside for dinner after the training, and Midnight had to have _her_ dinner, as well.

I rubbed her little head as she came running towards me. Cats always seemed to do that whenever you put some food down. I smiled when she started gobbling up the cat food. I had felt bad for keeping Midnight cooped up in here all the time, in the beginning. Once she had stopped trying to escape, though, and had adapted to her environment, my guilt lifted. The rooms here at Yokai Academy were huge, after all; it was like a mini-apartment. Besides, having a little furry companion here seemed to get me past many of my hard days at school.

When I couldn't afford to procrastinate any longer, I heaved myself up and out of my room. Moka said she was going to wait for me at the back of the fields, where we had lots of space and no distractions. I had worried a bit when I heard that. Was she planning on making me do laps like the P.E. coach?

My worries disappeared as I neared the back of the fields, however. I saw Kenta, Kiseki and basically everyone else there as well, including Moka. If my friends were there, Moka wouldn't try to murder me indirectly, right…? Filled with newfound confidence, I marched over to where they were.

"Ame." Moka acknowledged, nodding her head. Somehow she was present as her Inner self, although I hadn't witnessed any signs of her transformation processes, and she was holding a bright red whistle.

"Hi, everyone," I said, somewhat out of breath from running all the way there.

"You're late by nineteen seconds," Moka said in a disapproving tone. "I thought I told you to be here early, 3:00 sharp?"

I mumbled under my breath. Gosh, was Inner Moka harsh! I didn't see how she could tell that I was late, though; she wasn't even wearing a watch.

"We'll start immediately, then," she announced. "We can't afford to waste any time."

"Yes ma'am."

"What was that?"

"Yes ma'am?" I repeated myself, confused as to why she was asking me what I said when I knew she could hear perfectly well.

"I'm not even that old," Moka said, her lips narrowing in annoyance. "Don't be cheeky."

"Or else you'll witness one of her famous 'know-your-place' high kicks!" Kurumu warned, wagging a finger at me. I smiled wryly, and nodded.

"I'll start you off easy today," Moka said. "This will just be a warm-up. I want to see how well you can transform at will."

"But I can't," I protested.

"Can't what?"

"I can't transform at will!"

Moka frowned. "How do you transform before then? And how did you know how to use your powers?"

"I… I just did."

"Then do it now."

I hesitated, very aware of everyone's eyes on me, and closed my eyes. I tried to picture my wings sprouting out from my back, or my horns and tail growing out… but none of that worked. I still felt nothing. I squeezed my fists tight, really trying to concentrate. I knew that Moka was a hard teacher; if I didn't get it right the first time, I didn't know what she'd do.

"Ame? Stop it." Kiseki interrupted. "You look like you're constipated."

Kenta laughed, and Kurumu elbowed Kiseki in his ribs. I swear I heard her whisper "Good one," to him, and was about to retort, but the look on Moka's face stopped me. She didn't look amused like the rest of them.

"I think I'm beginning to see a pattern here," she said. Her face showed that she was pondering something.

"Wait… but how can that be possible?" Yukari asked. "You only ever saw Ame use her powers once!"

"Kenta?" Moka called, ignoring Yukari's question. "Come here."

Kenta bounded towards where Moka was, and stopped right in front of her. "Yup?"

"Everyone else, stay back and don't interfere." Moka ordered. "Only Ame's allowed to move… and I guess Kenta as well, since he can't help it after I…"

Without so much as a warning, Moka picked Kenta up like he weighed nothing, and tucked him into a ball-like position that I didn't think was ever possible to do to a kid like him, monster or not. Kenta didn't protest, though; he only had a look of surprise on his face.

Not hesitating even in the slightest bit, Moka kicked him high into the air, and as far out as possible. I gasped, and stared at her like a moron. My mind didn't work fast enough to completely process what she had just done, but I knew enough to demand an explanation.

"Why did you do that?" I gasped. I was beginning to get angry. How could she do that to a kid like him? It didn't matter whether or not he could take it. I'd heard of Moka's kicks before, and they were never fatal unless she meant for them to be, but still! This was just ridiculous…!

"I didn't hurt him even in the slightest," Moka said, crossing her arms over her chest. "I tucked him into a position where I couldn't kick him in any vulnerable spot. Trust me, there wouldn't even be a bruise afterwards."

"Still! You-"

"No use in getting angry at me now, right?" Moka looked extremely composed for someone who had just kicked a little boy high into the air. "Look, he's about to land soon. He'll smash into the trees, and that's when he'll truly get hurt."

"Then what are you doing?" I almost screamed at her. "Go save him!"

"Nope," Moka said, all unconcerned. "I don't want to."

With a growl, my head snapped up to see Kenta a few yards away from us, dropping altitude fast. While I wasted precious time squabbling with Moka, he was already falling from the great height! He was about to crash into the tree tops. Having known what that feels like, I didn't want Kenta to experience it. Hell, he was just a little kid!

Suddenly, I remembered how he was scared of heights. I almost stomped my foot frustration. Moka was so unreasonable! How could she do this? She was just going to watch him die!

I let out a strangled cry. I wasn't going to let it happen! I don't care what Moka decided to do; I would save him. I could not let Kenta die.

Suddenly, wind was whipping at my face. Before I knew it, I had taken to the air. I didn't let that fact side-track me, though; I focused on my one goal: to get to Kenta. I had to catch him in the air before he crashes down into the trees. My wings were close to my sides, creating as little wind-resistance as possible. I zoomed across the air, struggling to pin-point exactly where Kenta was going to drop, and how I'd catch him.

All that didn't matter, in the end. I knew as soon as I was halfway there that I wouldn't reach him. He was dropping too fast… and his flapping of his arms didn't help either. He had transformed while he was in midair; his claws and sharp, spiky tail was waving around. His ears poked out from under his cap. I didn't care if he injured me with them while I caught him, but those would leave quite the scar.

My face scrunched up as I tried to fly even faster. The wind whizzing past me at breakneck speed made my eyes water, and I blinked them away as fast as I could, trying not to lose sight of Kenta.

_I can't make it,_ I thought. _I'm not going to make it! Kenta's going to die…!_

I closed my eyes in protest. My teeth were against each other so hard that I thought they were going to break. I focused solely on protecting Kenta; I had to save him somehow. I didn't know exactly how, but I had to make sure he didn't reach the trees.

_No matter what happens, he can't reach the trees!_ I screamed in my head.

A heartbeat later, I heard a whoosh of wind as the breath escaped Kenta's lungs. My heard dropped. He had probably already landed below the trees…

"A-Ame…" Kenta croaked, his voice coming from below me.

My eyes snapped open, and I looked down to see…

Kenta didn't crash into the trees. He didn't even touch them! Somehow, he was suspended in midair! No, not midair… he seemed to be resting on a large transparent sphere. It glowed with the same golden hue as my barrier. Kenta just lay on top of it, panting in and out.

I immediately flew to his side. I concentrated on my floating sphere, terrified that it would give away suddenly and cause Kenta to plunge to his death.

"Kenta!" I shrieked. "Are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere?"

Kenta rubbed his doggie ears.

"Ow, Ame…" he said. "My ears hurt. They're much more sensitive after I transform, you know…"

Tears streamed down my face in relief as I crushed Kenta into a tight hug, right there in midair.

"I thought you were going to die!" I sobbed. "How could Moka kick you like that…?"

Kenta grinned mischievously. "So we fooled you, huh?"

My worried expression dropped right off my face. "Huh?"

"Don't get mad at Moka," Kenta said. He hurriedly went on to explain. "She knew she had to get you to transform somehow, and she thought up a bunch of theories. We had to test them out and try them all…! Moka said she'd let me be the damsel – no wait, _dude_ in distress, and you'll transform to help me―"

The muscles on my face twitched. The veins in my head felt like they were going to pop. I lowered my head slowly and shakily, until Kenta was only staring at the top of my head. He couldn't even see my eyes.

"A… Ame?" Kenta asked slowly, his voice scared. He seemed to be intimidated by my furious aura. Good.

"You... me."

"Huh?" Kenta asked, lowering his head as he put his ears closer to my face.

My head snapped up. "You tricked me!" I shouted into his ear.

Kenta cried out in surprise as he scrambled backwards on the sphere, away from me. I was about to continue my rant of anger when – before I knew it – his hands slipped on the round surface of my sphere. Kenta's arms flailed around, but there was nothing to grab on to. He started to slide off of the sphere and fall.

"Oh no," I growled. "I'm not going to let you fall a second time!"

I rushed to his side, and dragged him up by his armpits. I didn't set him back onto the sphere, though; it was too dangerous. Instead, I quickly called off the protective sphere and flew back towards Moka and the others, carrying Kenta with me. We dipped dangerously for the first few seconds, but we were fine after I quickly adjusted to the extra weight.

"Ame?" Kenta asked quietly, looking up at me from below his dog ears. "Are you still mad?"

I was about to reply and tell him yes, that I was furious, but I sighed instead. I couldn't get mad at Kenta, after all; he had set his life in danger just to perform some stupid test to get me to transform.

"I'll have plenty to say to Moka," I said instead, my face grim.

Kenta sighed, and he slipped his baseball cap back on his head. I was surprised that they didn't fall during his drop through the air. He was probably holding on to them.

When we landed, I quickly set Kenta down onto the grass and began to approach Moka.

"Uh-oh…" Mizore murmured, taking her lollipop out of her mouth. "She's mad…"

Moka smirked confidently, her fists raised in a fighting stance. "If she wants to settle this physically, then she can bring it on."

She was wrong, though. I wasn't going to settle anything "physically". Wasn't hurting Kenta enough already? Instead, I settled myself right in front of Moka, and brought myself up to my full height in front of her. It wasn't very impressive (my eyes only came up to her nose), to be completely honest. I was tall for a human (taller than Kurumu and Mizore, for that matter), but beating Moka in height was another thing entirely.

"You." I said, wiping my tear-stained face. "You will _never_ trick me again! And you will _not_ hurt someone else just to reach your goal!"

Moka looked shocked for a moment, but she brought her raised hands down. Once again, she regained that composed look on her face.

"Anything else you want to say?" she asked coolly.

I nodded, leaned back, then swiftly smacked my forehead into hers, ignoring the stinging pain that followed.

"Do you know how worried I was?" I cried. "I was scared that Kenta was going to die! I was scared that you had turned into a heartless _monster_!"

Moka laughed in disbelief. "I _am_ a monster."

"But you're not heartless!" I replied indignantly. "So don't scare me like that again!"

Someone grabbed me from behind, and I looked up to see Kiseki's amused face above mine. He gripped my shoulders and squeezed them in a gesture of comfort. How odd of him.

"Don't make Ame cry," he said to Moka. He tried to sound serious, but he couldn't stop the amused smile from crossing over his face. "Next time you do that… _I_ might just cry. Of laughter, of course."

I tried to kick him in the shin, but he quickly dodged out of the way, grinning. Kurumu blew her nose on a handkerchief and rushed forward to give me a big hug. She squeezed the breath out of me. At last, I understood what Tsukune had gone through; it was suffocating in there. And by "there" I meant… you know what I meant.

"Aw, Ame… you made me cry!" Kurumu exclaimed. "Even though I knew it was all a set-up… Oh my God, I wanted to fly over there and save you two myself!"

I smiled, despite the fact that I was dying from lack of oxygen.

"Thanks, Kurumu," I mumbled. I didn't think my words could be heard, though.

Finally, Kurumu let go of me. I immediately filled my lungs with air. Kenta, on the other hand, was suffering through the same fate that I had.

"Leggo of me!" he said. His voice was muffled by Kurumur's boobs. "Can't! Breathe!"

Kurumu didn't let go, though.

"You poor thing!" she cried. "I thought you were going to die! Are you ok? Are you hurt anywhere?"

Kenta's ears popped out under his baseball cap, forcing his hat to slide off of his head. I giggled. His ears were beet red. Finally, Kurumu released Kenta to pick up his cap. After she set it on his head, she began to lift up his shirt.

"What are you doing?" Kenta exclaimed, blushing furiously and pulling his shirt down. "You pedophile!"

Kurumu looked hurt. "Where did you learn that word? And I'm not being perverted, you know… I was just checking for any bruises. It's ok; you can let big sis Kurumu take care of you~!"

Kenta blushed and pulled his cap down lower over his head. "No thanks."

"Oh, you're so cute!" Kurumu gushed, patting his head.

Moka cleared her throat. "I can't stay out here forever, you know."

Kurumu immediately snapped back to attention, giving a mock salute.

"Ok," Moka continued, ignoring Kurumu, "so after this test-run, I've come to the conclusion that Ame can transform only based on feeling and emotion – not on will."

"Can you elaborate?" Garron asked. He leaned forward, like he was interested. I blushed slightly, looking away from him. I didn't like to see myself regarded as a test subject.

"You saw her when she tried to force herself to transform before," Moka explained. "It didn't go well, did it? It's because she had no goal in mind – no feeling of wanting to protect someone."

"Ah!" Yukari exclaimed. She jumped up with a bright look of understanding on her face. I was surprised she didn't cry out "Eureka!"

"So this must be another one of her traits?" she reasoned. "Since she possesses the power of an angel, then she must have the urge to protect someone to save them. Basically like an angel! She'd only transform when someone's in danger, right…? Kind of like you, Moka-san!"

Moka nodded, deep in thought. "Right… but we can't afford for her to transform only in times of danger, can we? For her to control her powers and develop them, she'll need to transform at will. She's different from me. There's nothing limiting her powers; there's only things _supplying_ her with powers. So we'll need to work on that with her."

I cleared my throat awkwardly. "I'm right here, you know… can we not refer to me as "her" all the time?"

Moka waved her hand in the air, brushing off my request.

"We'll resume tomorrow," she said. "We should all have dinner now. We'll continue after class ends on school days."

"Ok," I grumbled.

Moka smiled at me for a brief second, before turning towards Tsukune and leaning into him. My eyes widened as I wondered what she was going to do. Something clicked, and Moka's silver hair faded into its original color. She collapsed into Tsukune's arms.

He laughed awkwardly, slinging an arm around Moka's shoulders. "I guess we'll have dinner now?"

We all nodded, and together we made our way to the cafeteria.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong>

Hi everyone~

First off, I have to apologize to all Kenta-fans xD. I'm sooo sorry for getting him high-kicked into the air by Moka! It was a must, though… I went through it in my head, and no one else would do.

Moka wouldn't kick Tsukune or Mizore for testing (no offense, I love Mizore, but it'd just be really… action-less, I guess, if she was sent flying through the air. She wouldn't make a big scene out of it, you know what I mean?), and Kurumu would just fly off in her succubus form. Even Yukari would call up her broomstick or _something_… Garron wouldn't do, because he's not that close with Moka, and things would definitely get a lot messier if Moka kicked Kiseki, LOL!

Anyway, this chapter might not seem like training :/ It's just a test-run, though… Moka is plotting things, so don't give up your interest yet! ;)

Alright, so I guess you'll all have to wait till the next chapter… Meanwhile, comment and give me feedback! :D I love it when I read encouraging reviews from you guys~ It's like energy/fuel, you know? It keeps me going when I'm stuck and I don't want to write no more.

Until the next chapter!

― ACookieZ


	19. Chapter 19: Training Session 1 point 5

**Angel vs. Demon**

Chapter 19 – Training Session #1.5

Class was dragging… and it was still only homeroom. I stared at the clock right above Ms. de Mone's head, watching its hands oh-so-slowly make its way around in a circle. Just how was I going to make it through the rest of the day?

"Ame, don't you dare fall asleep in my class!"

Something flew at my face, and I barely managed to dodge it. For a second, I thought it was a fake fingernail of Ms. de Mone's or something, but…

"I don't have fake nails," Ms. de Mone snapped, leaning down towards me so that no one else could hear. It was like she had read my mind… and she had. I wanted to slap myself for forgetting that she was a demoness. "My long, sharp nails are 100% natural. Only girls like you need fake ones to cover up your hideous nails."

I smiled at her to hide my irritation.

"I'm sorry, Ms. de Mone, I shouldn't have mentioned your fake fingernails," I said loudly. "Please don't be offended…"

Kiseki snickered behind me, and a lot of the students started to notice what was going on. Lucy glared down at me, her already angular-looking face becoming even more scrunched up… Hell, if looks could kill, I'd be dead right then.

"Ms. Kanmuri, meet me in my classroom after school," she ordered. A few of the students started whispering among themselves.

"So her nails really _are_ fake?" I heard one say.

"I knew it!" another one exclaimed.

Ms. de Mone pounded my desk with her fist, making me flinch back. "Shut up, all of you, or you'll all join her!"

Eventually, the class settled back down. Ms. de Mone ignored me for the rest of the class though… not that I minded. A few minutes till the bell was going to ring, though, Kiseki poked me in the back with his pencil.

"Ame… although I truly enjoyed that, you shouldn't have angered her." He shook his head, still amused.

"Why?" I retorted. "She always makes fun of me… I can't stand it anymore."

"Yeah, but aren't you going to practice with Moka after school? So if you have detention…"

I gasped. I had totally forgotten… Moka would be madder than Ms. de Mone if I didn't show up!

"What should I do…?" I asked Kiseki desperately. He smiled and assured me that he would think of something.

"We could consult the others at lunch. And maybe give Moka a heads-up if you won't show up…?"

I groaned. I sure wasn't looking forward to lunch today…

* * *

><p>And, what do you know… it was lunch. I was tortured by Coach in P.E., called on for every other question in History class, given a lot of homework in Math, and then the English teacher had to make us memorize a speech for the next. And to make it worse, it was all things I mostly didn't know about… Monster History and the works.<p>

I sulked all day, and dragged myself towards our usual lunch table.

"What's wrong, Ame?" Garron asked as I sat down beside him.

"Everything." I replied. I explained to him – along to everyone else – about the detention and all my homework.

Yukari grimaced. "And Moka had so many things planned out too…"

"She's going to be mad," Mizore stated simply, stirring her ice-cold juice around in the cup with her straw.

"So can you all just… maybe… explain to her that I won't be coming…?" I asked hopefully. At least I didn't have to face Inner Moka to tell her this ―

"Oh no you won't!" a familiar deep voice objected. I looked down at Moka's rosario and saw that it was glinting dangerously. Inner Moka's eye blinked at me. Her voice sounded different coming from the rosario, like she was talking through a radio or a walkie-talkie, but you could tell it was her. Oh, definitely.

"I don't care when you show up," Inner Moka said to me. "You still have to come to the session! Do you want your progress to drop?"

"But I have so much homework!" I complained. "And it's going to be so tiring to go train after detention…"

"Stop whining," Inner Moka commanded. "Either show up… or not. But then I'd have to resort to extreme measure to get you there."

I gulped. "Ok, ok… never mind."

"Good." Inner Moka's eye blinked in the rosario for a brief second before closing and disappearing completely. A brief, awkward silence washed over the lunch table as no one spoke for a few seconds… Soon, though, as if nothing happened, we went back to eating.

* * *

><p>I swallowed nervously before knocking on Ms. de Mone's door.<p>

"Come in," she answered. I was shocked at her behavior today; normally, she would have ignored me completely and got the door to open itself.

"You asked for me?"

"Yes," Lucy answered. "Don't be stupid. Why would I call you here if I didn't need you?"

By now, I was used to all of Lucy's stupid jabs and teases. Ignoring them completely, I asked her what she wanted from me.

"Lately," Lucy began, "you've developed your angel powers, have you not?"

I opened up my mouth to object, but she spoke before I could.

"Now, don't try to deny it, honey… I know of the practices and training you have with Moka Akashiya."

"How?" I blurted out. "You shouldn't be sticking your nose into your students' personal affairs! Aren't you a teacher?"

Lucy considered this for a moment, then replied: "I'd rather not go by that title, you know. 'Teacher' just doesn't suit me. I'd rather something like… oh, let's say… 'My Master's Right-Hand Demon' or 'Lucy the Great'."

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. This woman was crazy!

"No I'm not," Lucy replied, glaring at me. "And I shall prove it… by telling you the reason I have called you here today."

"And what is that?" I asked.

"Since Moka's doing me a huge favor and awakening your powers by training you, I think I might do the same. I won't train you, obviously… Teaching students such as yourself for hours on end? I'd die of frustration! Instead, I want to give you tips and pointers."

I hesitated before answering. Was Lucy planning something? She hadn't made any drastic moves at all so far (except the occasional torturing that wasn't serious enough to be called upon), so she might be plotting my death…

Lucy rolled her eyes. "Oh, don't think so highly of yourself, dear… you're not so special that I'd want to harm you every chance I can get. I just want to even out everything, you see? Moka trained you for your angel powers… and I will give you tips on you demon powers."

"I don't know," I admitted slowly. "It's kind of suspicious that you'd be willing to teach me so suddenly…"

"No, I'm not doing it for you, obviously." Lucy snorted. "I'm doing this as a favor to my Master! He would want you to develop your demon skills…"

"Who _is_ your master, anyway?" I asked. I didn't like the sound of this. If Lucy's higher-up wanted me to develop my powers… then I must not listen, for all the obvious reasons.

"You're not worthy enough to hear his name," Lucy sniffed, sticking her pointy nose up in the air. "All you need to know is that his wish is for you to develop all your powers and abilities."

"Why?" I asked skeptically. "What if I refuse?"

Lucy narrowed her eyes and leaned towards me. "That's not an option, darling. If you refuse, you won't get to develop all your latent abilities. That would make you vulnerable towards other monsters, good _or_ bad. If you develop you powers, on the other hand, you would have a balance, don't you see? Then the good and evil will be brought out equally in you… and you can choose what to do with it when the time comes. You won't die, anyway; that's a plus."

She was starting to scare me. All her talk about "developing" my latent abilities? She made it sound like I was an experimental crop that she had to grow! Her "Master" seemed to be the mastermind behind all this, though… I didn't know who he was, but I couldn't trust him. Lucy, on the other hand, had a point… If I refused to bring out my powers, I'd die. I definitely won't be able survive in the monster world if I remained my miserable human self. That thought made me cringe; I'd have to both physically and mentally change myself to survive! That was so unnatural. I didn't want to give up being human…

But I didn't want to die, either. I had my family and my new friends to think about; they needed me, maybe even more than I needed my human self.

"I won't refuse," I finally decided. "You're right; _I_ will get to choose which path to take when the time comes."

Lucy smirked, as if she knew better. She – most likely – didn't; she probably thought I'd choose to join _her_. I almost scoffed at the idea.

"Anyway," she said, slipping off of the desk she perched on. "I'll only give you a few pointers. I don't want to look at your face any more than I have to, after this."

"Me neither…" I muttered.

"What was that, honey?" Lucy asked out loud, cupping her hand behind her ear.

"Nothing," I glared at her.

"That's what I thought." Lucy replied smugly. "Now… stand in front of me."

I hesitated. Only now did I realize that I was listening to this crazy woman; she was actually teaching me something. Lucy, the very demon that had corrupted my life and tortured me, was now giving me tips!

"Oh, silly bun-bun, I'm not going to_ hurt_ you," Lucy said, rolling her eyes. "My Master wouldn't allow that! In fact, he personally told me to 'be nice' and train you. As much as I'd like to see you suffer, I can't disobey my Lord's commands."

"You swear?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. I had to be a moron to trust Lucy.

"I swear, cross my horns and hope to be separated from my Master."

"What?" I asked, confused. What kind of promise was that?

"In the demon world, Ame, it symbolizes something far more 'official' than your empty human promise. What was it? Ah, yes, something along the lines of 'cross my heart and hope to die'."

I was silent. As long as Lucy promised, then it was fine. Besides, I couldn't disobey her; she was a teacher, for one, and she also had the power to kill me in a heartbeat. What would be the point in me promising to bring out my abilities to live, when I could easily get killed by refusing to put a few of Lucy's commands into action?

"That's a good little girl, now," Lucy cooed as I stepped in front of her. "Stay still, ok? Don't fidget."

I barely breathed as I tried to hold myself in my position.

"Good, good… Now, darling, close your eyes."

I did.

"Don't think of anything; keep your mental image blank. No, not blank; keep it dark. _Dark_, Ame; you can't see anything. It's all black."

For some reason, my mind did as Lucy asked. I didn't know if she was using her hypnotic powers on me or something, but I suddenly felt very claustrophobic. The darkness, the empty black walls… it was exactly like my dream. My nightmares.

"You see a light in front of you, Ame. A light; a glowing ball."

A single pinprick of light shone against the blackness; it wasn't a golden light, though. This one was bright red… it was crimson. The same color as the deer I saw during the Survival Test. And it was hovering right in front of me.

"Grab it, Ame! Grab that light. You can't see anything except that light, got it? Just reach forward and take it."

My non-existent hand moved forward, closer, towards that glowing ball of crimson light. I didn't see my hand closing over it, but I felt it. God, I felt it. It hurt; the ball burned! It was like fire! It didn't burn into my hands, however; I couldn't even feel my hands. They weren't there. It burned itself into my mind, instead. The glowing crimson sphere expanded until it filled my vision, until all I could see was red.

"That's it, that's it, Ame!" Lucy coaxed. "Look into the fire! What do you see?"

Bits and pieces from my memories cropped up and flashed across my mind. They weren't pleasant memories, however.

I saw a five-year-old me playing with a new toy… my little sister cried and said she wanted it; I had to obey my parents' orders and give it to her. I was the big sister; I had to take care of my siblings.

Another image crossed my mind. I was camping with my whole family outside in the woods. My little brother found a sharp stick and, while running, tripped and implanted the tip of it into my ankle. He had been the first to cry, though; he'd looked so pitiful that I stayed silent. To this day, I was still known as the clumsy, uncoordinated girl to impale herself with a stick.

Another flashback - a ten-year-old me stayed silent while everyone at school bragged about their new designer clothes and the new games they got. My family couldn't afford it; I had to endure everything while I cautiously saved up my allowance.

I was sixteen. My boyfriend was supposed to come over that night; my parents were supposed to take my siblings out to have fun and eat dinner to leave us in peace. My thirteen-year-old sister, though, came home by herself, that night. She had a stomachache and decided to leave early, skipping the dinner. My boyfriend was informed that our date had to be changed. Situations like that kept cropping up, until he finally decided to dump me.

More and more memories and images flashed across my mind, until I couldn't make out any of them anymore. It was like fast-forwarding through a horror movie, or flipping rapidly through an embarrassing photo album. All my memories blurred together until I felt like I was going to pass out from the entire information overload.

"That's it, Ame, that's it… Now try to clear your mind and focus on a spot in front of you. All your hateful emotions, all your embarrassing moments… just let it all out into that one point that you see ahead of you."

I directed all of my embarrassing information and horrifying memories towards the one thing that I felt hateful towards, right then: Lucy. I focused on her voice and located her position.

_Lucy made all of this worse, _I thought. _She made me like this; she was the one who wanted me to give up being human. She was the one who wanted me to turn evil!_

Sparks of what sounded like electricity crackled, and I opened my eyes just in time to see a huge flaming pitch-forked, trident-like weapon impale itself into the wall behind Lucy… where Lucy's head had been just a few moments before. The weapon combusted and blew a hole into the wall. I could now see into the classroom next to ours.

"What the hell was that?" Lucy cried. She had ducked just in time to avoid getting hit, and looked pretty pissed off. "I was going to praise you, but to hell with that! You could have killed me, you little b*tch! Seriously, what did you think you were doing?"

"I-I don't know…" I stammered. Was that supposed to happen? Was I supposed to conjure up a giant flaming pitch-fork?

"And here I am, thinking that I could help you." Lucy shook her head in disbelief. "Your powers are seriously out of control! You can't just use them on a whim!"

I ducked my head, staring at the spot in between my feet. Suddenly, I'd much rather Inner Moka teach me than have Lucy lecture me.

"Like with your angel powers," Lucy continued, "you can't just transform when you feel like saving someone! What, you only use you powers when you need to? That's crazy! If that's how you do it, then that means you have no control over it _whatsoever_!"

My shame turned into irritation, until I could no longer bear what Lucy was yelling at me about.

"You just noticed it _now_?" I snapped back, whipping my head up to glare at her. "You only _just_ noticed that I can't control my powers? But tell me, how was I supposed to in the first place? I'm no monster; I wasn't born with powers. I don't know how to control it; nobody was there to teach me. I only just started yesterday! What more do you want from me?"

Lucy's eyes went wild; her pupils expanded and contracted until her eyes looked fuzzy.

"You." She took a deep breath, and breathed out through her nose. I swear I saw smoke coming out of her ears. She spoke slowly and deliberately, taking a step closer to me. "I… will let this slide. My Lord… he wouldn't want me to… kill you, right now."

I tensed, waiting for any further reactions from Lucy.

"And about what you said." She went on, "I will pretend that I didn't hear it. You will not last long if that outburst was acknowledged by my Master. In the future, don't give me crap on how none of this was you fault, and how you didn't know anything about this."

"But I didn't," I protested. "I was clueless about everything! How as I supposed to know-"

"Shut up," Lucy interrupted. "You knew perfectly well… the consequences of coming to this school. You can't get the best of both worlds, Ame. You either choose to accept your powers and stay in the monster world, or pretend that nothing has happened and hide under the bed covers in your human world."

I was speechless. As much as I despised Lucy, she had a point there. I guess I was selfish; I had wanted everything. It seemed so perfect, though… My family, happy and proud, waiting for me in the human world, and my loyal friends, with their arms wide open for me in the monster world. Now that I think about it, I'd taken everything for granted.

"You're right," I whispered. "I was being selfish…"

"Selfish is an understatement!" Lucy corrected with disdain.

"Then… I guess I'd better get going. I won't take anything for granted, anymore; I'll train with all my hardest with Moka, and develop my powers. You're right, Lucy. I'll have to try my hardest, where I am now; not staying here – in the monster world – with a wishy-washy attitude, while thinking about the human world."

Lucy opened her mouth, surprised, and then closed it again. I guess she expected me to refute her, but I had agreed with her instead.

"T-That's right," Lucy finally said, regaining her composure. "I couldn't have said it better myself."

"I'll be leaving, then."

"Wait, _darling_… Don't think you're off the hook this time, 'k?" Lucy walked over to the hole in the wall and wiggled her fingers though it. "I'm only showing you mercy because my Master requested me to. Be sure, Ame, that next time we meet each other… the situation will be much direr."

I nodded, opening the classroom door. "I know,"

* * *

><p>"You are so late, Ame," Garron commented as I made my way to our spot near the back of the field.<p>

"Moka was just debating on whether or not to break in, beat the crap out of Ms. de Mone, and get you out!" Kiseki added, smirking.

"Luckily I didn't have to do that," Inner Moka replied, tossing her hair back over her shoulder. "Saves me a lot of time… Now, Ame, today I decided to start with something different."

Kurumu rolled her eyes. "What do you know… she's started already."

"Be quiet, Kurumu," Moka commanded. "I did say that we shall start immediately, did I not, as soon as Ame got here. Anyways. Instead of training your angel powers, I've decided to see what you can do with your demon powers today."

My eyes widened and I instinctively froze. Did Moka know what happened back in Ms. de Mone's classroom? If not, why would she be asking me to showcase my demon powers…?

"I'm sure it's quite different than your angel ones, but we'll have to develop it nonetheless." Moka added, misunderstanding my shocked expression. "Both are equally important. Now, we know what triggers you to use your angel powers… but do you know what it takes to awaken your demon powers, Ame?"

My eyes darted around the field, thinking of Moka's question and how I should answer.

"I don't know," I finally replied. "I think the opposite of the angel powers…?"

"Hmm," Yukari mused, "So instead of wanting to protect someone… you'd want to hurt them?"

"No, not really!" I waved my hands in front of me, trying to banish the thought. "I was thinking of something more along the lines of… Well, instead of all the nice stuff like peace and love and protection, how about hate and regret?"

"So you're going to focus on those emotions now, instead of the ones from yesterday?" Kenta asked, cocking his head to the side.

"Precisely," Moka answered for me, nodding to herself. "That makes sense… because they're opposites, right? Now, Ame, I want you to focus on a spot and release all your anger and hate out onto it, and-"

"I know," I interrupted. I'd just gone through this a few minutes ago.

"You do?" Moka echoed, raising an eyebrow. Immediately, I cursed myself for being such an idiot. I still haven't decided to let the others know or not, about the situation with Lucy… If I told them, they'd probably want to protect me from Lucy or something and go against her. If I didn't, though, and only _I_ knew about it… hopefully, nothing bad will happen then.

"I-I do," I replied, nodding my head. "I've been training myself."

I resisted the urge to flinch. I'd always been a bad liar. Yes, sure, I was good at covering up my feelings and stuff, but this was different. I couldn't tell an outright lie to my friends…

"Ok, then," Moka continued, glancing at me from the corners of her eyes. She turned to Mizore.

"Remember the procedures we went through?" she asked.

"Yep," Mizore answered, taking the lollipop out of her mouth.

"Then I'll leave it up to you." Moka said.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong>

Hey you guys!

This chapter was kinda dramatic and all… not a lot of action, but plenty of talking and arguing x( Sorry about that… but I didn't think the thing with Lucy was gonna be that long. But you know, Lucy's being nice for once. Well, not "nice", I guess, but tolerable. You might think that Ame was kinda stupid for listening to her, but it was all for her own good. Not much of a choice, really; she either did it or died. xO

P.S.

For those of you wondering what the Chapter Title was all about, I have to apologize. xD I guess it's a bit confusing. It's just that this chapter never really made it to a full training session with Moka (it kind of ended when it just began), so I had to make it a "1.5"~

― ACookieZ


	20. Chapter 20: Training Session 2

**Angel vs. Demon**

Chapter 20 – Training Session #2

"Remember the procedures we went through?" Moka asked.

"Yep," Mizore answered, taking the lollipop out of her mouth.

"Then I'll leave it up to you."

"L-Leave what up to her?" I asked, looking back and forth between Moka and Mizore.

"Didn't you say that you knew how to use your demon powers?" Moka asked. "Well, then, I'm simply giving you the opportunity to prove yourself. Mizore here will be our conductor – no, "conductress", if you must, and she will help me test out you skills."

I nodded slowly, unsure of the situation. "Okay…"

"Mizore will set up moving ice targets around the field," Moka explained. "Demon powers are supposed to be offensive, aren't they? You'll have to use whatever methods you can to destroy the targets."

"Start her off with something easy, Moka…!" Tsukune interrupted when he saw my dubious expression. "She's still new at this, after all…"

Moka pursed her lips, unhappily considering, and then finally nodded her head. She turned towards Mizore.

"Make the targets immobile for now, Mizore," she said. "Once Ame gets the hang of it, you can bring the targets to life."

"Wait, hold on a sec!" Kurumu said. "It gets really boring just watching her do stuff by herself, you know? I want a part of this too!"

"Yeah!" Kenta cried, leaping up. "It'll be so fun if we can join!"

Moka sighed, crossing her arms over her chest. "This is crazy," she said. "You guys are going to mess up my perfectly planned schedule, you know that?"

Kenta hung his head, his little puppy ears flopping. Moka twitched, and then finally gave in.

"Ok, then," she sighed, "we'll have a tournament after Ame's done her training."

"Really?" Kurumu perked up.

"Wait, what kind of tournament?" Yukari asked.

"Mizore, I'm sorry about this, but you'll have to work extra hard for everyone else's enjoyment." Moka apologized. "My idea for the tournament is for Mizore to set up as many moving targets as she can, around the field and near the woods, and we'll see whoever can hit the most targets."

"That'll be no problem," Mizore replied, stretching her fingers. She whipped her hands out, and they were suddenly large, sharp-looking icicles. "I might join the tournament too, myself."

Moka nodded. "We'd better begin, then."

Mizore hesitated. "Wait, guys… who do we all hate?" she asked.

"What's up with the sudden question?" Kurumu asked. "If you're going to go get revenge on people _without_ me this time, I swear-"

"No," Mizore protested, rolling her eyes. "I wanted to know because I want to shape the targets. I can make ice dolls, remember? The moving targets can all be animated ice dolls of the people we despise!"

"Great idea!" Garron laughed, clapping his hand on Mizore's back. "I should've thought of that!"

"Oh, make the targets Saizo-shaped!" Tsukune said, snapping his fingers.

"How about Kuyo?" Yukari suggested. "The fox-spirit guy that we beat up during our first year here…"

"_Uh-uh_," Kurumu objected, shaking her head. "If we're talking villains here, it has to be Gin!"

"I want mine to be Garron-shaped," Kiseki declared with a very flat expression on his face.

"Hey, why?" Garron cried.

"Ok, all of you STOP IT!" Moka shouted. The veins on her face throbbed, making her face twitch. Everyone, in the midst of arguing only moments before, immediately quieted down.

"See, this is where it gets problematic," she continued. "We can't agree on just one person… and I bet for Garron or Ame or Kenta, their people will be ones we don't even know. You guys are making this way more complicated than it has to be…"

"Wait, I can fix that!" Yukari cried suddenly, taking out her wand. "All Mizore has to do is make a faceless ice doll, and I think I can use my magic to make an illusion! Everyone can see what they want to see… Well, not who they _want_ to see, of course, but the people they despise…"

Mizore shrugged. "Works for me. It'll be much less work that way too."

"Alright then, that's decided." Moka said, resting her hands on her hips. "But we'll only do that after Ame's training. Save it all for the tournament, ok?"

"Ok!" everyone agreed in unison.

"Let's begin." Moka blew the whistle that hung around her neck, making me jump.

Immediately, round targets appeared around me, some hidden behind the trees in the woods and some staying low to the ground. I gulped. Was I supposed to hit them all?

Closing my eyes, I concentrated on the blackness. I saw the single, red light that Lucy was talking about before, but this time, instead of making it bigger, I concentrated to separate it. The one big sphere of crimson light now divided itself into many pinpricks of small balls.

I opened my eyes to peek at the few targets that were close to me to locate their whereabouts, then immediately closed my eyes. I focused on my pinpricks of lights, and imagined them darting over toward the targets, implanting themselves in the mid-center of them all. Somehow, I could feel where the targets are; I supposed that that was one of the many pluses I gained from having my powers.

I continued this method for several tries, and finally opened my eyes to see that I had gotten all the targets. Kenta clapped enthusiastically for me, cheering about how I was a fast learner, but Moka just stared at me with a pondering look on her face,

"You've suddenly gotten a lot better," Moka said, facing me. "I know you said that you'd practiced by yourself, but who could have taught you to do that…?"

I looked around, uncomfortable. "I… I just listened to what you told me, Moka. Didn't you say that this was the opposite of my angel powers? Well, I just used what you taught me yesterday to work this out…"

"Hmm," Moka considered. "I guess you're right."

She glanced around us at the targets that I had aimed for, every one of them melted into the ground by my flaming mini-arrows.

"We shall proceed to the next stage, then," Moka said. "On to the moving targets!"

Mizore nodded, then plopped herself down onto the grass. She stretched her arms out in front of her and closed her eyes. I guess she needed to concentrate for this too.

All of a sudden, round dart-board-like targets appeared, farther away from us this time. They rolled around on their circumference, moving at an amazingly rapid speed.

Mizore wiped her sleeve across her forehead. "How 'bout that?"

"You did great," Moka said. "Now it's Ame's turn."

I closed my eyes as well, and concentrated on the moving targets. This was similar to what I did only moments before, but now when I closed my eyes I saw the targets as moving dots across my vision. I couldn't see them exactly, because of my closed eyes, but I could feel them. They felt like moving balls of cold energy.

I concentrated on my flaming sphere again, and separated them into different sections. I mentally ordered each one to go after a specific target, so no target will be left un-impaled. The ball of red light didn't seem to be listening to me as well as before, this time, and I had to really squeeze my eyes and force them to behave.

I felt my demon power – if that was what it was – and I knew it was harder to control than my angel one. My demon power was a rebel; it was wild and out of control, and didn't like being told what to do. Regardless, I mentally forced them to obey. I thought I was doing quite well inside my head, when Garron tapped me on the shoulder and told me to look.

"Ame, your arrows are like ice-target-detectors!" he cried. "They're… _following_ Mizore's moving targets!"

I opened my eyes, and saw that he was indeed right. Since Mizore's animated targets were always on the move, my arrows were like heat-sensing missiles (or in this case, cold-sensing missile) and seemed to be magnetically drawn to them; they pursued the targets like crazy, gaining on them and chasing them down. My arrows would then run them through and melt them.

Mizore whistled. "I'd congratulate you, but I'm too tired… all my hard work…"

I smiled apologetically. "Sorry…"

"Anyway!" Kurumu cried, leaping up. I smiled at her fondly. I swear, sometimes she was more of a kid than Kenta was.

"Now that Ame's done all that, and we know how good she is," she said, "we can start the tournament, right?"

Moka sighed at Kurumu's eagerness. "Yes, I suppose so."

"Yes!" Kurumu cried, grinning. "Finally, some fun!"

Mizore shushed her, telling her to be quiet while she concentrated on making her final batch of ice objects. Silvery water-like liquid rose from the ground and shaped themselves into humanoid figures. This process continued until a whole army of ice figures were standing before us. You couldn't tell if they were male or female, though; they were just nameless, faceless dolls.

Yukari approached them, waving her wand. She whispered some spell, and a shower of glittery dust covered the ice dolls. She then skipped back to us, as we watched the fairy dust-like substance settle it. A few seconds passed before Kurumu interrupted the silence.

"… That's it?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. "I don't see any difference… Plus I thought the process would be, you know, more spectacular…?"

Yukari dusted off her hands. "Don't underestimate it, Kurumu… The process will take a few moments to settle. And once it does, you'll see the face you dread the most. It'll be the face in you nightmares! But it'll work by the time the tournament starts."

"Well, what are we waiting for?" Moka asked impatiently. I could clearly tell that she wanted to get this going. She must have been bored too, just watching me train.

Mizore sent her ice dolls into the woods. Surprisingly, they moved with the speed and agility of an average monster; I had thought they'd be stiff and immobile. I had to give it to Mizore; she had skills. However, she also had exerted too much energy into making these ice dolls.

"You know what?" Mizore panted, sitting down onto the ground. "I think I'll just pass this round."

"Aw, I'm so sorry, Mizore…" Kurumu said, pouting. "I just wanted to have some fun training; I didn't mean to wear you out."

"It's ok," Yukari said. "I'll stay with Mizore. I have to keep you guys honest after all, right? I'll keep score over my crystal ball!"

"Good idea," Inner Moka approved. "I can assure you that these people would cheat."

"Hey, who are you calling a cheater?" Kurumu complained. "Speak for yourself!"

"I would never cheat," Moka said disdainfully, as if the very thought of it grossed her out. "Cheating is so… low-class."

Yukari rolled her eyes. "Just go already. We'll be watching!"

Mizore started the countdown from five. As soon as the word "one" escaped her lips, everyone – well, everyone except me (and you'll soon know why afterwards) – ran like hell towards the woods. I saw everyone transform for the first time… Well, almost everyone. I had seen Moka transform before, and I had seen Garron and Kiseki use their powers. However, transforming was a different matter.

Kiseki was almost as fast as Moka when he went all-out! He took my breath away all over again; I felt no different than when I first saw him use his powers. Although I couldn't exactly see him, he had an aura powerful enough to almost match Moka's.

Kenta shocked me the most, though, even when I saw him transform before. He stripped off his dog tag and stuffed it into his pocket. His ears and tail immediately enlarged, and he went on all fours and zoomed like a rocket into the woods. He was faster than your average canine; his paws never seemed to touch the ground.

Kurumu, on the other hand, was the first to transform. Black bat-like wings sprouted out from her back, and a tail similar to mine protruded out from under her skirt. The first thought that popped into my head was: "Is this girl a demon like me?" However, I had heard this story from Moka and the others before; Kurumu was no demon – she was a succubus. Her true form still shocked me, though, but in a good way. I wasn't the only one with the wings and the tail, thank God.

The transformation I was most surprised at was Tsukune's. He had claimed that he was a normal human like me, even though I hadn't thought he was a human the first time I met him. He was covered in scars, and although he wasn't as buff and scary-looking as all the other monsters here, he was far more muscular than your average human. Compared to him, I looked _frail_.

Tsukune had an aura similar to Moka's as he sprinted towards the trees. He looked… so different than he normally was. When he transformed, he looked like a true monster. And I say that in a good way.

Garron confused me the most, though. He didn't seem to transform at all… yet he was super-fast like Moka and Kiseki. Not as fast as them, no; he didn't even seem to run. It was quite scary, actually… His feet barely touched the ground, whereas Moka and Kiseki blurred with such speed that their legs could not be seen. Garron just seemed to – there's no better word to describe it – "speed-float" and head towards the trees, with his feet still touching the ground. It looked rather eerie, to be honest. It looked like he was possessed; he just drifted like a ghost into the forest.

"Ame!" Yukari shouted at me. "What the hell are you doing, just standing there?"

"Everyone left already!" Mizore informed me. "Better hurry up…!"

Shaking myself out of my little reverie, I quickly ran towards the trees. I didn't transform, though. I bet I couldn't even if I tried, as there was no one to protect. Besides, I had thought this over before, and I had an advantage.

You see, I had my powers to aid me. While other monsters like Moka, Kurumu, and Kenta use physical force to wound their victims and defeat them, I didn't have to. Monsters like them had to physically _be_ there next to their opponents to defeat them. I could take all the time I needed, and I could still take out a whole batch of these ice dolls at once… for I could conjure up numerous arrows all at the same time.

I mentally slapped myself. Boy, did I sound cocky there.

Running near the middle of the woods (it wasn't a particularly big forest, mind you; it was just a small patch of grass compared to the forest we had to stay in during the Survival Test), I stopped and closed my eyes. I forced my senses to range outwards, so that I could detect any source of energy or power.

I almost gasped and lost my balance. Compared to the faint pinpricks of energy I felt coming off of Mizore's ice dolls and targets from before, the energy coming off of Moka and the others – real monsters – startled me. They were like bright shining bulbs of light… and I could easily tell which one belonged to whom, depending on the… "flavor", I guess you could call it, and their level of power/brightness. Their light was truly spectacular… it was like watching fireworks concentrated into a sphere; compressed, but bursting with power.

Pushing that out of my mind for now, I concentrated on creating my arrows. I conjured up the flaming red ball again, and mentally forced it to separate into numerous tiny specks of light. I shaped them into arrows, and sent them to attack the pinpricks of energy that indicated where Mizore's ice dolls were.

Suddenly, a waft of cold air brushed past me. I eyes immediately flashed open, and I cursed myself for not watching out more cautiously. One of Mizore's ice dolls were hiding behind a tree, not far from where I was. I could feel its eyes staring at me (if it had any to begin with), and I shuddered. Something was wrong with Yukari's magic, or Mizore's ice doll. Something _had_ to be wrong… because I wasn't seeing any face on the ice doll.

Didn't Yukari say that I would see a face on them once the tournament started? The face of the one I hated the most… that I was the most terrified of. Right, what was it she said…?

Something about "… you'll see the face you dread the most. It'll be the face in you nightmares!" or something. Right. so was the face I dread most… faceless? That didn't make any sense!

"_Hello again_," a raspy voice sounded. My head snapped back up to look at the ice doll; the voice was coming from there.

"Who're you?" I asked. This didn't make any sense at all… how could the ice doll talk if it has no face? But, surprisingly, the voice sounded familiar… I've heard it before, somewhere…

"_In your dreams_," the ice doll said. I swear, if it had a face, it would be smiling evilly right now. "_I'm _the voice_, remember? The thing that you're scared of most. The thing from inside you nightmares…"_

I gulped. This was so wrong… How could I destroy this thing? It wasn't even real! It was from my dreams, for God's sake!

It made sense, though. In all of my nightmares, the voice never showed its face. I didn't even know if it was a man or a woman… A perfect representation of this ice doll here. However, whatever form it was in, the voice didn't change. And hearing it in broad daylight, while I was awake, creeped the hell out of me.

"Please, leave me alone," I begged. For some reason, my strength left me. I had no willpower anymore; I couldn't destroy this thing.

"_But we can't_," the voice said.

"We?" I echoed. All of a sudden, cold air surrounded me. I looked around to see more of those faceless ice dolls with "the voice" walking towards me…

I started to shiver and hyperventilate. I felt so cold… so numb…

And my head hurt. God, my head _hurt_. It pounded so hard that I couldn't about anything besides the pain. I could still hear the voice, however. It was echoing through my mind, adding along to the pounding and making my head hurt even more. I dropped down to my knees, my hands covering my head in a vain attempt to protect myself. I shut my eyes, trying to block out everything. I couldn't, though… I still felt the pain. And the cold… the numbing coldness…

And I still heard the voices. The voices didn't stop tormenting me.

All of a sudden, dizziness overtook me. My head hurt so badly that I couldn't think properly… and as I forced my eyes open, I found myself sinking closer and closer to the forest earth.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong>

Hi people~

So Ame officially gains control over her demon power in this chapter! How exciting. I wanted to write about what the other characters saw on the faceless ice dolls (who they resented the most), but I couldn't decide that for myself; it wouldn't be right. So I leave that for you guys to visualize. ;)

Oh, and I apologize for the abrupt ending. xD Altho I wanted to write more, I couldn't; I wanted to save the rest for the next chapter. So I decided to leave this as a cliff-hanger~ And I'm also sorry for having Ame hog the spotlight for the past few chapters… It was all about her so far. But it is her training after all… Still, I promise to include everyone as soon as this scene ends. :D

OK, so I guess I'll see you in the next chapter then~! Don't forget to leave me a review – I absolutely love reading them.

― ACookieZ


	21. Chapter 21: Bonding Session

**Angel vs. Demon**

Chapter 21 – Bonding Session

"_Hello again, Ame," the voice said. "Did you miss me?"_

"_No," I thought angrily. "I just saw you when I was training, didn't I? How come you were there?!"_

"_Oh, I'm everywhere," the voice answered, with a tone of honesty. "But I'm flattered, you know… I didn't know you feared me the most. That just makes my day…!"_

_I stayed silent. I knew I was dreaming, because the voice was getting stronger and stronger. But, if I was dreaming, then that must mean…_

"_You made me faint," I accused. "Back there in the forest."_

"_I didn't make you faint. You fainted yourself." _

_Once again, I made no comment. I didn't know if I was alive or dead… would I be dead if I was still dreaming? Or was I still alive? But how would the ice dolls leave me alive after I passed out? This just didn't add up somehow._

_I wanted to find out. And to do that, I would first have to wake up. Even if I wasn't curious to find out my condition in reality, I still wanted to escape from my dark hole. It was even closer than before, it that was possible… the chasm was getting narrower and narrower._

_I squeezed my eyes shut, although it didn't make much of a difference because I couldn't see anything in the first place, and tried to force myself to wake up._

"_That won't work," the voice snickered, amused. "You'll have to wait until you're better to wake up. Just rest for now, ok? Calm down and don't struggle. That would make things easier for you… once the time comes."_

"_There you go again," I thought with irritation. "Stop being so cryptic. Tell me when 'the time' is, and what will happen once it gets here?"_

"_Ame, the walls are steadily getting closer to you. And you cannot break free, correct? You never could, even in the beginning. You are stuck here, while darkness will take over. And then you will become a part of it."_

"_In your dreams," I snarled._

"_Nope," __the voice objected, sounding very relaxed and amused. "__In _yours_, more likely…"_

* * *

><p>My eyes flew open. I was panting heavily, but I wasn't covered in sweat this time, thank God. Looking up at the sky for a moment, I was confused. Where were the trees? Wasn't I supposed to be lying down on the forest floor? And the clouds, too… even the sky disappeared. Everything was covered in white. And I was strangely comfortable…<p>

Oh my God. Had I really died and gone to Heaven?

"Ame?" an angelic voice asked. Yes, that confirmed everything for me. I definitely died. "Ame, are you okay?"

Turning my head, I looked up to see Kiseki leaning over me in anxiety. My brows furrowed in confusion.

"Why are you dead, too?" I asked him, perplexed. "Or… are you really an angel?"

Kiseki took a long look at my dumbfounded expression and sighed.

"We're at the infirmary," he said slowly, as if I was retarded. "You know, the building thing with doctors and nurses that help mental patients like you…?"

Kurumu snorted and shoved him over a little bit. She then popped her head into my field of vision.

"Ame, you collapsed while we were doing the tournament!" she exclaimed. "How could you? You gave us such a scare! We even had to cancel the rest of the tournament for you."

"Kurumu!" Moka cried, astounded. Moka had returned to her normal Outer self this time, I noticed. "Ame was unconscious, and you're still talking about the tournament?"

"Wait," I croaked. I flinched at my hoarse voice. "What happened after I fainted?"

"Garron found you lying on the ground," Tsukune said worriedly. "He beat up the ice dolls that were circling you, and carried you back to the open field."

"Then I called off the rest of the ice dolls," Mizore said.

"And I contacted everyone else to let them know that the tournament was canceled." Yukari continued.

After a brief pause, I sighed. "So… in other words, I ruined the tournament?"

"Pretty much, yes," Kurumu answer bluntly. Yukari dropped a small golden bin onto the top of her head, a relatively small one to warn her to behave.

"But it's alright," Kurumu quickly added, taking the hint. She wrapped an arm tightly around Yukari's neck as she said this, smiling at me. Yukari struggled in her grip. "We can always have it another time… it's good that you weren't hurt."

"If… you don't… let go," Yukari puffed, clawing at Kurumu's arm, "Then I'll make sure you end up here at the infirmary too."

"Hah!" Kurumu laughed, not amused. "Don't joke with me, you flat-chested little girl!"

I was too tired to stop them from fighting. While Moka tried to intervene and break up the quarrel, Garron leaned towards me. He was sitting beside my bed from my left side, unlike everyone else.

"Are you sure you're alright?" he asked, looking worried. "When I found you… you seemed to be in pretty bad shape. Mentally, I mean."

"I'm fine," I replied, frowning. Was he saying indirectly that I was mental? Maybe I was… I was hearing voices, and that's never a good sign.

"But what made you faint?" Garron asked. His eyes lit up with curiosity… but not your average curiosity. It seemed like he was more curious about my answer than about my well-being. I decided to give him a different response.

"I was just tired," I replied. "I think I used up too much energy from practicing."

Garron didn't pursue further, but he pursed his lips. I had a feeling he was displeased with my answer.

"Ahem," Kiseki interrupted, clearing his throat. "Now that you're all better… why don't we leave the infirmary?"

"Why?" Garron asked, smirking. "Afraid of the hospital? Or the big, bad nurses?"

Kiseki clenched his jaw, his eyes hard. Despite that, I could see he was embarrassed. "I'd rather not talk about it… I don't have very good memories of the infirmary."

Shrugging, Garron got up. "Come on," he called to everyone else. "We're all ready to go. Ame's better now, so we should all head back to our dorms."

We all got up and, with the exception of me, walked fairly quickly towards the exit. Moka and Kiseki had to support me once in a while, when I still wasn't feeling quite steady. I did want to get out of the infirmary as fast as I could, though… It freaked me out. I saw nurses with abnormally huge needles and test tubes from inside rooms with the doors ajar, facing their patients. I even saw several students (at least, I think they were students) wrapped up completely in bandages, with only their eyes staring out at me. Shuddering, I willed my headache to cease so I could walk out the front door faster.

When we finally all made it to the dorms, we bid our goodbyes and separated. Everyone was tired from the tournament, even if I had interrupted it halfway, and we all had to call it a day.

Sighing, I made my way up to my room. I had ruined it for everyone else… and I was sure this wasn't going to be the last time. Why did I always get in trouble, and drag everyone down with me? Truthfully, if I had to choose, I'd rather the bad things only happen to me instead of my friends. I guess that was the only way I could protect them, after all… I was just a weak human.

_But you're not so weak anymore!_ an optimistic voice chirped in my head. _Moka's training you, and you'll be stronger every single day!_

But then that was another problem. Did I really want to be that strong? As strong as Tsukune was, even though he was a human to begin with as well? Did I want to be… a monster?

No. I couldn't deny it; power scared me. Especially when I couldn't control it. I hadn't seen Tsukune lose control at all since I was here, but that didn't mean his powers were always checked. According to the stories Moka and the others told me, Tsukune struggled through that part the hardest.

But then what did that make me? Was I a failure, for not trying hard enough? I wasn't like Tsukune at all. I still couldn't decide whether I wanted to be human or a monster… or just a powerful human. So far, I've had all my choices decided for me. Just like Lucy said, I had no say in anything. I've been forced into everyone all along…

While I contemplated this all in my head, I collapsed onto my bed. A whoosh of air escaped my lungs and Midnight jumped onto my stomach, snuggling down with me on the bed. I scratched her absent-mindedly behind the ears, still deep in thought.

I was thinking, thinking… and before I knew it, I fell asleep.

* * *

><p>"Meow! Meow!" Midnight meowed me awake, nudging my cheek with her little head.<p>

"Stop it," I grumbled, pushing her face away. "I'm tired…"

Midnight wouldn't give up; she battled with my hair, and her paws came into contact with something solid.

Something that was definitely _not_ a part of my hair.

I immediately sat up, eyes wide. I think I sat up too soon, though… either that or I wasn't fully recovered from the tournament. My head spun, and I felt extremely nauseas. My stomach heaved, but there was nothing to upchuck. I had no dinner.

One hand clutching my head and the other clutching my stomach, I stumbled into the washroom. I had to wash my face and cool it down, and then maybe take some medicine…

Opening the tap, I watched the water leak through my fingers and trickle down into the sink. I cupped my hands into a bowl-shape, and waited till it filled up with cold water. Splashing it onto my face, I raised my head up to look in the mirror, and…

I froze. The solid, hard thing that Midnight was pawing at… it turned out to be attached to my head. Permanently or not, I don't know, but they were there alright.

"Horns," I whispered in distress. Yes, there they were, plain as day. What had happened? Had I transformed without knowing it, in the middle of my sleep…? Somehow, this made me feel like crying. I was becoming less and less human…

Blinking away the tears, I looked up to the mirror again. With a shock, I realized that the horns were suddenly gone. I patted my head, just to be sure, but my hand didn't touch anything solid or pointy.

Wait.

Was I delusional?! Did I just imagine that I had horns…? It was definitely possible. I was half-asleep. But if that was true, then… what had Midnight been pawing at?

Rushing back to my bedroom and ignoring my splitting headache and heaving stomach, I ran towards Midnight. I grabbed her and picked her up, bringing her up to my face until we were staring at each other in the eye.

"Midnight, tell me." I ordered. "What I dreaming? Did I really have horns? You saw, didn't you? You saw them…!"

Midnight let out an irritated meow, and struggled out of my hands. Giving up, I let her drop onto my bed again. This was definitely not going to do.

Picking up a light jacket from the back of my kitchen chair, I quickly shoved my arms through the sleeves and slipped into my shoes. I had to get outside, _now_. I seriously needed some fresh air to clear my head.

Walking towards school campus again (the parts that weren't occupied by the dorms), I decided to get a drink. I had to calm my stomach somehow… maybe a cold drink will do me good. I needed an ice pack-substitute for my head, anyway. Slipping my hand into my jacket pocket, I felt relieved to find a few coins still in there.

I fed the coins to the vending machine, and punched a button. Immediately, an ice-cold drink dropped down, and I bent to pick it up. It was just plain old water, but it was in a can. Things like this at Yokai Academy were just weird. Just as I straightened back up, however, I felt a hand on my shoulder.

I was prepared for this. What else did I expect? I was a girl, alone, at a school for monsters… and a human, at that. Gathering up all my courage, I spun around and slammed my can into the nose of the person behind me. I heard a crunch and then a groan, but that was all the time I needed to run away.

"Waaait…" a voice croaked. As I stepped away, my back towards the person, a twitching hand wrapped around my ankle. "Ame, wait…!"

Whoa, so this guy even knew my name?! This wasn't good… maybe I should call Kiseki over or something…?

Turning around, I was about to tell my attacker just that when I noticed who it was.

"Tsukune!" I gasped, horrified. I dropped down to my knees, and bent over his bleeding nose. "Oh no, I'm so sorry!"

"It's ok!" Tsukune laughed, waving it off. His voice sounded muffled as I stuck my handkerchief to his face, trying to stop the bleeding. "It was my fault, anyway… sorry I startled you."

I was about to reply, but no words came out of my mouth. Instead, I bit my lip as my eyes turned watery. Tsukune looked alarmed; I could tell he wasn't good with crying females.

"A-Ame! What's wrong?" he looked at me up and down, making sure I wasn't injured or hurt.

"I'm sorry," I sniffled, tears streaming down my face. "I'm always causing you trouble… not just you, Moka and the other guys too! All of you are so nice to me, and yet I-I…"

"Ah, um… it's ok." Tsukune replied lamely. He looked flustered, and tried to use the clean parts of my handkerchief (the parts that weren't covered in blood) to wipe my tears away. I cracked a smile, pushed his bloody handkerchief away and used my sleeves to wipe my face instead.

"Don't worry, Tsukune," I replied, smiling. I could now tell why all the girls loved him. "I should be the one comforting you, though, since I smacked you with the can. But I'm the one crying." I laughed at myself, ashamed.

"No, you can cry if you want to, Ame." Tsukune answered kindly. "I know exactly how you feel… it's hard to try to do you part and please everyone, isn't it? Especially when you find out that you don't need to… that everyone is nice to you unconditionally."

I froze, and I swear the tears on my face stopped in their tracks, too; I was as immobile as stone.

"H-How do you know that?" I asked, surprised.

Tsukune shrugged, and then smiled. "That's the way I felt when I came to Yokai Academy, too. I was supposed to be tough, you know? Be a man and protect everyone. And yet it was always my friends who protected me… and they still like me despite that. It's nice to know that feelings are mutual, though."

I smiled. "You know, I used to be so jealous of you…"

Tsukune looked appalled. "What? Why?"

"Because you seem so happy all the time, and you fit in so incredibly well with the rest of them, even though you're human like me!" I answered, laughing. "I wish I could be like that too, even though I still don't know what it takes to get there…"

Tsukune thought about it for a moment. "You know, there's really no secret to achieving that… I just care about my friends with all my heart, and I'll do whatever it needs to protect them, to make them happy. I think you already have that, Ame… it's just that you're still kinda confused about it."

"_Kinda_ confused?" I repeated, "More like _completely_."

Tsukune smiled. "Don't worry, you won't be soon. You have us, and everyone else, isn't that right?"

"But still…" I protested, frowning. "Isn't it scary to fully lose your human self…? I feel like that's what's happening to me, little by little."

Tsukune grabbed my by the shoulders, looking stern. "Ame! Don't ever say that! You'll _never _lose yourself, ever. You'll still be you… just changed a little bit. And for the better, too. Monster, human… it doesn't' matter. Your friends will still like you, whatever you choose to be."

I grinned, and suddenly felt the urge to give Tsukune a big hug. Without thinking, I did just that.

"Thanks for the pep talk, Tsukune." I said, feeling extremely grateful. "You're like the big brother I never had!"

Tsukune looked shocked, and a blush slowly made its way to his cheeks. Sometimes it seemed like he's more easily flustered than Kenta. The thought of that made me smile bigger.

"W-Well," Tsukune stammered, scratching his head. "Thank you, I guess."

I leaped up, feeling my headache and stomachache go away. I felt reenergized… Yes, that was right! It didn't matter if I was a monster or a human… nothing would change either way. I'd still be me, and my friends wouldn't treat me any differently.

I thanked Tsukune once again, and skipped back to my dorm with a spring in my step. I felt like a whole new person. I guess it took another human to understand what I was going through… It made me sad to think about that, though. Tsukune was there for me, just now, when I was in need of consolation… but who was there for Tsukune? I didn't think there was anyone who understood what he was going through when he first came here to Yokai.

I quickly shook that thought out of my head. Tsukune had such loyal friends, and I'm sure they had accepted him for who he was, whatever he was. That was good enough.

Smiling once again, I found myself looking forward to the next day… something I rarely ever did.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong>

Hello, you guys.

In this chapter Tsukune and Ame have a nice bonding session… Or, you could say, "therapy" :/ It seems like our Ame is going mental! T^T

Alright, fav this story if you enjoy it so far, and take care~! x)

― ACookieZ


	22. Chapter 22: Final Training Session

**Angel vs. Demon**

Chapter 22 – Final Training Session

I was especially excited after lunch… Today was going to be the last day of my training with Inner Moka-sensei. During the past few weeks, she'd tortured me and tortured me… time and time again. And it wasn't always during the scheduled training time, either! Sometimes, she'd just pop out of nowhere and greet me with a kick to my face. I either had to block it – and maybe counterattack and somehow stop it before her foot got close to my face – or… suck it in and whip out my secret weapon: a pre-prepped icepack.

To be honest, the icepack made contact with my face more often than it should.

Classes were almost about to end, now. I made pretty good progress so far both in school and in my powers, if I do say so myself, but I wasn't sure what Moka was planning for my final day of training. I doubt she'd give me my diploma and be done with it. Thinking about the possibilities, I couldn't stop shivering.

Nevertheless, I gathered up my courage and stumbled over to the usual spot at the far end of the field. I blinked in confusion as I made my way there, and squinted towards the suspiciously empty area.

Where was everyone?

I stopped, not bothering to go any further. I slowly turned around in place, my eyes warily scanning the field. It was probably Moka… she probably – no, most _definitely_ got everyone to hide somewhere and surprise-attack me. She'd done that before…

"Moka?" I called out, my voice – much to my embarrassment – cracking. "Guys…? This isn't funny… you tried this last time, remember? You wanted to scare me, but it won't work this time…!"

Silence. Only the wind whistling past my ears answered me.

"Guys, please…?" My voice climbed an octave. "Come out… I'm begging you…!"

Still nothing. As much as they enjoyed messing with me during my training sessions, I doubted they'd go to this extent. They had to know how scared I'd get when they trick me into thinking something's happened to them, don't they? But they couldn't… my friends wouldn't joke with me about their safety.

"Kii~! Kii~!"

Startled, my head snapped up to trace the sound. It came from above me, directly overhead. Before I caught sight of whatever made that noise, though, a rectangular piece of something fluttered down and landed on my face. Quickly grabbing it off my face, I strained my neck once again to see whoever (or _whatever_) dropped it.

"Kii…!"

I had to blink three times before I could make sense of what I was seeing. It seemed like it was some sort of bird… but furry. It looked like a mammal, but it had wings like a demon or a succubus. For a minute I thought it was a pigeon or something, but it looked much fatter…

Wait… could that possibly be…?

"A bat!" I cried out loud, although I didn't know why I bothered to. Who did I expect to answer, let alone hear me? Oh yes, the obese bat that was hovering above my head.

"Kii~" it squeaked, as though to answer me. It fluttered closer to my face before taking off and flying away.

Scratching my head in confusion, I finally decided to see what the paper was. I still couldn't believe it, though… I'd heard of carrier-pigeons, but this was ridiculous. They actually used bat-messengers at Yokai?

Ripping open the envelope, I realized that there was a single note contained inside it. And not just a regular note… it was the single, most threatening and scary thing I had recently seen.

YOU, the note read (so I knew it was directed at me), I GOT YOUR FRIENDS.

That was it. Five simple words. I almost laughed out loud at how absurd it was. I knew it now… Moka was definitely behind this. Well, it was either Moka or the rest of my friends.

Smiling to myself, I decided to go along with it. I mean, why not? I bet they thought I was so easy, setting up such a "believable" prank for me. Well, since they went through all the trouble to do it… giggling quietly, I tucked the note into my blazer pocket and even whistled a few tunes while I made my way to central campus. To locate their whereabouts, I had to start from the middle after all.

Once I got to where I needed to be, I closed my eyes, willing myself to relax. I couldn't concentrate if I was giggling every other second, could I? Instead, I took deep breathes and focused on the balls of energy coming off from the campus. There were a few lesser ones, the ones not as bright, and I paid no mind to those. They were just those coming off from the stray students strolling around campus, not Moka or any of them. In my mind, I sought out the brightest… If I found Moka, no doubt the rest of them will be hiding near her, trying to scare me again. I'm looking, looking…

Something startled me, suddenly… so much that I actually gasped out loud. Yes, I had found Moka, I was pretty sure it was her; the brightest energy sphere around. Yet, I felt another one… one giving off energy similar to Moka's. I wasn't familiar with it; it wasn't one of my friends. Nevertheless, I decided to make my way over to it. Since it was with Moka, I'm sure it wouldn't hurt me, whatever it was.

The bright lights of power were located near the east end of the forest, near the swimming pool. The closer I got to them, though, the odder I felt. I'm sure it was Moka and the rest of them, now, but it didn't feel right… the light with them seems to be flashing – the one that was similar to Moka's. And my friends' light, they were dimmed… almost like they were trying to disappear.

"Guys?" I called out, daring myself to raise my voice a little more. "I came, just like you asked me to… but since I found you, it's over now, right? You can all come out now… class is about to start…!"

Nobody answered me. Or, rather, something did… a giant flying tree trunk. The top might have implanted into my face if I hadn't blocked it off with my bare hands.

"Ouch!" I cried out, wincing. The tree trunk had enough momentum to push myself back many feet, and the heel of my feet burned. Not only that, I raised my hands up to my face to see that it was bleeding… very badly. Wooden splinters got caught in between the skin.

"Oh, what's that…?" a voice drawled. "It hurts, doesn't it?"

I looked frantically to find the body to the voice, and saw a mop of flaming red hair above my head. A girl was resting in the trees… the one that almost killed me.

"That's what you get for messing with a vampire," she smirked, laughing.

"You're a vampire?" I asked cautiously. "Where's Moka...?"

Her laughter immediately stopped. She cleared her throat, looking uncomfortable… almost angry.

"She's busy doing something else," she said. "Like… being my _prisoner_!"

"What?" I cried, aghast. "You took Moka and the others?"

"No, of course not," she replied, waving her hand back and forth to banish the idea. "What would be the fun in that? I tricked them to come here, of course… one by one. It's about time I get my revenge…"

"Revenge?" I echoed. "Who're you?"

"That's not important," she snapped. "What you need to know is… I've come to capture _you_ now!"

My mind was whirling in frenzy. So this girl took Moka and the others, and now she's out to get me? If she overtook Moka, then she must be very powerful… which made sense, from the power I sensed radiating out from her before. Plus the way that the others' light dimmed… it made my throat tighten in worry. I had to rescue them, somehow!

"Yes," I swallowed, looking up. "Yes, sure! Go ahead and take me as prisoner! Just give Moka and the others back, please…"

The vampire girl looked taken aback. She quickly composed herself, though, and opened her mouth to speak.

"No, no! That's not how it's supposed to go!" she shouted, frustrated. I was surprised she didn't start stamping her feet and throwing a tantrum. "Ok, let me rephrase myself. You have to _fight_ me to get to them, ok? If you win, I'll release them. If you loose… well, then you have to do my laundry and cook for me for a week."

"What?" I gaped, stunned. "That doesn't sound right to me…"

"Shut up!" she snapped. "I don't know what else I'm supposed to say… Anyways, no more small talk! C'mon and fight me!"

I gulped, going into my fighting stance with my feet firmly on the ground. Even though the situation might've been fishy (hell, the _girl_ is fishy), I'd do whatever it took to get my friends back. After all, it was time to test all my weeks of training with Moka…

"Hah, that's more like it!" the girl cried out. "Now you're talkin'…" She jumped down from the tree branch and landed in front of me. I gulped; this was going to be the most dangerous thing I'll ever do.

"U-Um…" I was cut off as the girl in front of me took a swing at my face. Her fists weren't very large, but there was enough force and speed behind them to act more lethal than a bullet. I leaned back, almost breaking my spine, to avoid getting punched.

She was fast, though… fast, but not nearly as fast as Moka. Moka never really trained me personally herself, but she got others to do it for me; a couple of daggers thrown by Mizore, a few swipes from Kurumu, a few pounces by Kenta, and a few moves added in by Kiseki. As a result, I wasn't very good at offense; I was better with defense.

In other words, I wouldn't be able to fight this girl very well, one-on-one. However, I could avoid contact with her for forever, if I needed to. She'd be too tired fight back anymore once she's gone a few rounds with me…

"Hey, that's not fair!" she shouted. I flinched; she sure was loud. I bet her voice traveled all across the forest, scaring birds half to death. "You weren't supposed to dodge that!"

In her moment of anger, she launched a series of attacks on me. Sending a kick like Moka's to knock my teeth out, swiping underneath me to make me lose my balance, and punching and kicking at my face. I dodged all of them with ease. She was fast, but I hadn't trained for nothing!

"Hey, you!" she panted, closing in on me while I kept backing up. "Fight back! Stop dodging! You're being a freakin' cheater!"

I smiled, sending my arm up to protect her face while she aimed a kick there. She was losing stamina, while I hadn't even spent a quarter of my energy. Usually, I wouldn't expect people to fall for this, but this girl was very persistent. She just came at me head-first in a very straight-forward manner, and she wouldn't stop. She had plenty of stamina. If this kept up, I'd be the one to tire soon…

Just to change things up a bit, I fired a few arrows at her. She looked shocked to see that I was capable of offensive attacks, but she deflected them easily. And I mean deflect as in she reached out her hands and absorbed the arrows whole.

"You've got the powers of a demon," she stated, "but vampires are more powerful than demons, you know?"

I gulped. Yes, I knew this. That was why I wanted to sacrifice myself to get the others back… not the other way around.

"Enough of this," she said. Reaching beside her, she pulled out a fir tree from its roots. My eyes boggled out at her strength. She held the tree high over her head, and sent it crashing down into me. It was all too fast; I didn't even have time to put up a shield.

The tree crushed the air out of me – and everything else, I was sure – as it buried me beneath it.

"Stop this!" I heard a male voice growl. Despite the injuries on my body, I strained myself to hear better. Yes, I knew that voice! It was Kiseki! He was safe, thank God…

I must not give up. Even if there was one person left, I had to give my all to rescue them… I mean, what would be the point of me staying at Yokai if all my friends were gone? Just the thought of that terrified me… but it also gave me motivation. I struggled to stand up despite the weight crushing down on me.

"Whoa, you're still not dead yet?" the vampire girl whistled, sounding surprised.

"I won't die as long as my friends are still alive," I growled.

"Huh, you're just like that damn Tsukune," she muttered.

"What?" I croaked, struggling to stand straight. "How do you know Tsukune?"

"Oh, um, nothing!" she said, laughing uneasily. "Let's continue with the fight, shall we?"

No, no, I didn't want to. Things were turning out bad for me; I was so weak now that I could barely stand. How was I going to continue fighting this vampire? Impossible! Unless…

"Yes, that's right!" I cried. Summoning up the rest of my energy, I conjured up a barrier. This one wasn't supposed to surround me, though; I made sure it was enclosed over my opponent. The half-sphere dome glowed as it encased the girl in it.

"What?" she gasped, shocked. "Are you playing dirty now?" She tried to step out of the barrier, but the golden glow flashed and she hissed in pain, drawing backwards.

"What is this thing?" she cried. "It hurt me!"

I panted heavily, falling onto my knees. "That's… what I'm good at."

A loud, echoing clap sounded from behind me. I didn't even bother turning my head; my neck was hurting enough as it is.

"Very good," a voice called out. My ears perked up. It was Moka!

"Now, I'm sure that Ame is the one that won the fight, correct?" she walked in front of me, surveying my barrier, and the girl trapped in it. "Kokoa, you can stop feigning now. I'm sure you weren't hurt quite as much as Ame. Besides, you're such a bad actor, it wouldn't make a difference if Ame found out or not..."

I glanced from Moka to the girl, back and forth. I was clueless. What was going on? Who was this Kokoa, and how did Moka know her?

"Drop the shield, Ame," Moka ordered. "You did well, but I wouldn't like it if my sister was trapped in your barrier forever."

"Your sister?" I exclaimed, stunned. Immediately, my shield disappeared. How could this girl be Moka's sister?

Wait, now that I thought about it, Outer Moka did mention that she had siblings… Besides, it was Moka herself who told me the secret to fighting a vampire. They were scared of holy things; anything that had a purifying element made their power drop drastically.

Looking at them closely, this Kokoa girl did look a little bit like Moka. Not closely related, but related enough.

"Thank you very much!" Kokoa huffed, brushing herself off. She began ranting.

"You know, Moka, it was so not worth it. I don't know _why_ I ever agreed to help you with this scheme of yours… Kokoa never gets defeated! But this little…" – she glared at me – "… human over here actually captured me in a magical bubble! This is ludicrous! And besides, Moka, didn't you know I was on vacation? Just because I happened to be passing by didn't mean you could use me and…"

I tuned out after that. Struggling to get up, I hobbled over to Moka.

"Where're the others?" I asked her, concerned.

She smiled, looking at my worried expression. "Humans sure are affectionate, aren't they…? But, yes, the others are all okay. I just wanted to get Kokoa to test out your powers today, as a final exam kind of thing."

Moka closed her eyes and raised her voice. "You can come out now, everyone!"

Immediately, Kurumu came zooming out of the sky. She landed on me, none too softly, and crushed her massive breasts to my face.

"Oh Ame!" she cried. "I was so nervous, just watching form the sidelines! Kokoa over there seemed hurt you real bad… I'm so sorry! Moka told us not to interfere, like she always does, but I think this time she went too far. I mean, look at you!"

She pulled herself off of me to momentarily glace at my ruined uniform and battered body… then pulled me into a hug again. Not the soft, affectionate ones, but the crushing, suffocating kind.

A strong firm hand peeled Kurumu off of me. "That's enough, Kurumu! Now not only is Ame suffering from injuries, she's dying form lack of air as well."

I looked up gratefully. "Kiseki! You're okay!"

"Of course I'm okay," he smirked, ruffling my already-messed-up hair. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"I heard you," I said suddenly. "When I was fighting…"

"That's just Kiseki being insensible," Yukari stated. "He was supposed to concentrate on calming himself down and lowering his power level, but he just had to get all worked up. You're lucky Moka didn't beat you up for interfering, Kiseki!"

Kiseki snorted. "I can take on that boring woman any day."

Moka suddenly appeared behind him, eyes all glowing and sparks flying everywhere. "What did you say…?"

"Nothing," Kiseki said seriously, a straight look on his face. Despite all I've been through today, I still managed to laugh.

"Well, c'mon, everyone, I think Ame needs some medical attention." Tsukune made his way over to me, appraising my new beaten-up look.

"Hmm, wait a moment." Kiseki picked up both of my hands, holding them up to his face. He cautiously took a sniff of each, then slowly licked my palms.

"Hey! What the hell are you doing to Ame?" Kenta cried, jumping in from nowhere. "You can't be perverted in broad daylight!"

"I'm not being perverted," Kiseki protested, annoyed. "I was just testing something out."

"What's that?" Garron asked, leaning over everyone to see better.

"Last time when Ame got stung by those pixies and passed out from their venom, I licked one of her wounds… and her blood tasted sweet. Not artificially sweet, but as if her blood was different from everyone else's… it had _flavor_."

"How so?" Yukari asked, intrigued.

"Blood normally tastes rusty or salty, right? Ame's blood isn't salty at all. And the blood I licked right now, coming from her left hand…" He paused, savoring the taste on his tongue. "It was _spicy_."

Kokoa laughed. "Are you kidding me? What is she made up of, sugar and spice and everything nice?"

"No!" Kiseki growled, irritated that nobody was paying attention to him seriously. I was, though… every word that came out of his mouth made my blood chill. I definitely wasn't human, now… I couldn't turn back. I can bet my life that this was the work of the bracelets and the accessories. It might be the drawback of wearing them too often…

"Let me lick it!" Kurumu cried, shoving her way through. "I wanna see if it's true!"

"No!" Kiseki growled, pulling my arm away.

"What's wrong?" Kurumu asked, hurt. "You're going to hog her all to yourself?"

"I don't want you to pollute her," he said simply. Kurumu gaped, but said nothing. It made no sense to me, though, how only Kiseki got to taste my blood… What other way would prove that my blood didn't taste otherwise?

"No, it's true," Moka suddenly said, sliding closer. "I can smell it from here, the scent of her blood… and it smells natural. The different flavors are only the result of some outside force…"

"Like my bracelets," I muttered.

"That makes sense!" Yukari suddenly shouted. She had that "eureka" look on her face again. "From wearing that too often, it changed Ame from the inside… 'cause I mean, the two different components are conflicting with each other, right? So it's like her body's split in two…"

I shuddered. "That sounds scary."

"Oh, don't worry!" Kokoa grinned, smiling at me evilly. "I wouldn't mind some sugar and spice to my life… If Kiseki doesn't want you, I'll take you home with me!"

"No!" I blushed, turning away from everyone. Kenta grabbed my arm, though, and began dragging me towards the school buildings. Going to the infirmary twice in a week, that must be a new record for me.

"Alright, Kokoa," Moka said on the way there. "You did your job; you can go now."

Kokoa pouted, clinging onto Inner Moka's arm. "No! I want to stay with you!"

Moka sighed. "Tsukune, put the rosario back on."

"No!" Kokoa protested. "Fine, I'll leave now, happy? Gosh. Do you always have to get you way…?"

"I should be asking _you_ that," Moka said, smiling wryly.

Kokoa huffed and bid everyone goodbye as she hopped over a pink bicycle parked near the entrance, and then she zoomed out of school property. I'd never seen anyone ride so fast. With a shock, though, I noticed the fat bat beside her, fluttering over her shoulder.

"Does that bat belong to Kokoa?" I asked, pointing to where she'd disappeared.

"Oh yes," Kurumu said dryly. "You don't want to have anything to do with the pair…"

"They're deadly," Mizore rephrased, sucking on her lollipop.

I nodded, engulfed in my own thoughts as I let them lead me away to the infirmary. There was so much going on… I couldn't wrap my mind around it all. Hesitantly, just to make sure, I raised my hands up to my face and licked some of the blood on it.

My breath stopped. Kiseki was right. It tasted… different.

With a heavy heart, I settled onto one of the white infirmary cots as everyone else took chairs. Together, we waited for a nurse to come.

This was going to be a long day.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong>

Hullo everyone~

I decided to invite Kokoa into my story, only for a brief chapter. I'm sure you all guessed that she had something to do with my plot as soon as you read about the "fat bat", right? xD Truthfully, I didn't want to add her into my story because that would be too much… it would disrupt the whole plot because I wouldn't know where to put her. Besides, she's going on "vacation", as we all know… ;)

Hmm, and I must admit that the blood thing was weird. It was just an idea I had, though… I thought: "If someone had conflicting powers inside of them, then it must be like they're split in half. And since this story is about vampires, why not make it be about the blood?"

Alright, see you in the next chapter! :)

― ACookieZ


	23. Chapter 23: Traumatized

**Angel vs. Demon**

Chapter 23 – Traumatized

"Hey, Ame!" Moka greeted me. I waved at her, and she caught up to walk beside me. As always, Tsukune was right beside her.

"How're you feeling?" Tsukune asked. "You didn't look too well yesterday…"

That's right. Yesterday I was sitting on the cot inside the infirmary, unable to sleep at all, thinking about how I was going to become a human specimen if other people (aside from my close circle of friends, of course) found out about the "interesting" changes in my circulatory system. This whole thing was absurd; my blood tasted different on the left and right side of my body. How is this even physically possible?

"I'm better now, thanks," I replied, mentally shaking myself. I had to chill. My friends weren't even worried, why should I? It's not like it's going to matter if my blood tasted sweet or spicy (wow, just saying that made me feel so stupid). My friends didn't care; they actually enjoyed this traumatizing fact. Moka and Kiseki's been buzzing around me recently, asking to taste-test my blood.

Actually, another fact had bugged me. My headaches had increased, and they only seemed to get more severe. I've asked the nurses for some medicine, and they even gave me a checkup, but they all said they couldn't find anything wrong with me. They gave me some medicine nonetheless, but it didn't seem have helped.

"Um, you two go ahead, alright? I'm just going to go get something to drink… it might make me feel better." I didn't want Tsukune and Moka to be too worried about me. I'm sure they had enough to deal with.

"Yeah," Moka said, giving me a smile. "Get something cold. It might help."

"I hope you feel better soon!" Tsukune added as they disappeared around the corner.

With a heavy sigh, I turned around and headed towards the vending machine. Some cold water, maybe, or some ice? Maybe that will help…

"… see them? They're pink today, and so cute."

I halted in my steps. A guy's voice sounded just ahead of me, around the corner and to my left.

Right where the vending machine was.

"Yeah, I see 'em. What do you say we take a picture?"

Another guy! So there were two perverts. I frowned and thought hard, but I wasn't sure what I should do then. Head back and pretend that I never heard them? Run out, expose myself, and demand an explanation? Or just sneak out and attack them?

Whoa, wait. _Attack_ them? What was I thinking? I was seriously starting to become like a yokai now… like everyone else at my school. No. No, I was going to deal with this the normal – human – way.

"Excuse me?" I said, stepping out from around the corner. "What were you going to do?"

Two guys (very disgusting-looking guys, I might add) stood side by side behind a pillar. As one, they turned their heads to look at me. I almost choked; they couldn't look more different.

The taller of the two was wiry, almost like a skeleton, and had very angular features that made up his bony body. He had on huge glasses that weren't in proportion to his face; they looked like they were going to fall right off his pointy nose.

The second guy was extremely overweight. He had a shiny, oily face that looked like it hadn't been washed in weeks, and his nose was flat and pressed into his face. While the taller guy's eyes were magnified by his glasses (and made to appear huge and cartoon-like), the second guy had puny eyes that almost disappeared into his chubby face.

"What the hell are you looking at?" the skinny guy snapped. "You almost gave us away!"

"Yeah," the fatter guy added, nodding. "Yukari almost heard you!"

"WHO?" I gasped in disbelief. My head snapped up, and I saw – yup, they were right – little Yukari skipping off into the distance. With each bounce and skip, her skirt flew up a little bit. Not too much, but just enough for two perverts hiding behind a pillar to see.

"You – you…" My voice shook in anger, and I was unable to finish my sentence. Weren't they considered pedophiles? Did they actually allow students to act like this? They were so old, way older than Yukari (and possibly even me), and they looked at her young body in a way that sent chills down my spine. I could practically see the drool running down their mouths. And not to mention the fact that she was my friend.

"Leave." I choked out, my voice low and deadly. The two guys looked taken aback. They backed away from me warily. I stood my ground; my voice was so cold that I was surprised at myself. It momentarily shook me out of my rage.

The guys used this opportunity to make a few comments.

"Sheesh, calm down!" the chubby guy cried, his tiny eyes going about as wide as they could possibly get (which wasn't that wide, to be quite honest). "We were just playing around…"

"You're overreacting," the skinny guy added, glaring at me.

I knew that. But I wasn't feeling like myself just then. I felt sick and plagued with splitting headaches, and seeing two pedophiles acting perverted towards one of my best friends just didn't help my situation.

"Go. Just go!" I shouted. "Leave her alone; don't you ever come back again. How dare you try to–"

I blacked out then. I couldn't remember what I wanted to say, who I wanted to say them to, where I was, or even _who_ I was. The blackness – the darkness from the very depths of my nightmares – consumed me, and it took away my memories; it ripped my identity away from me. It wasn't just "passing out" or "fainting"… I felt like I was drowning in a deep pool of nothingness.

Some time later – it could have been hours, minutes, or even seconds, I didn't know – I came to. My head was against the pavement, and my eyes met the bottom of a… scuffed shoe?

"… stop, please," a voice begged.

"Don't…! No more, please… We'll be good, we promise!" another voice added.

"No more, no more… Make it stop!"

I sat up groggily, feeling nauseous. I didn't feel sick anymore, but my headache was back. Looking around me, I tried to find who the voices belonged to. My eyes rested on the only two living beings – aside from myself – near me. I had passed out with one of their shoes in my face the entire time.

For a second I didn't even know who they were. These two pitiful, terrified creatures looked like they were genuinely traumatized, like they had seen a ghost – no, wait. I was at Yokai Academy. "Ghosts" weren't conceived as scary here… They looked like they had seen a human; a very horrifying, cruel, scary human… maybe with a few firearms and whatnot.

"We're sorry… we're sorry! We won't peek ever again…"

"No pictures… no peeking… promise…!"

Wait, what?

After a closer examination, I discovered that these two were the very perverts that I saw lurking behind the pillar. The ones that had pissed me off right before I passed out.

I didn't believe my eyes. They looked nothing like the healthy (if a bit overweight and underweight), perverted, drooling idiots that I saw before. Their skin now seemed sunken into their bones; their faces were pale and ghastly, and deep dark bruise-like circles were etched under their eyes. Even the fat one looked like he had lost a couple of pounds; he had cold sweat running down his face like he had just run a mile in the coldest of winters.

But these were not the most terrifying changes. What scared me most was the haunted look they had in their eyes. They looked like they had seen the deepest darkest part of evil, like they had went through hell and back. They looked traumatized, haunted, and shell-shocked.

"What happened to you two?" I whispered, a feeling of dread coming onto me. Genuinely concerned, I stood up and leaned over them, trying to see if I could help them. My shadow was cast over them as I rose.

I did not get the response I was hoping for.

"Aaahh!" the chubbier guy screamed. "A-a-ah… It's her. It's her!"

"She's here…" the skinny guy whimpered. "No… no. Help me…!"

Hurt and upset, I straightened up and stepped away from them. What was wrong? Just what… Oh. _Oh wait_. My brain went haywire trying to figure this out, but figure it out I did. Or at least I think I did.

Did I cause this? Did I make them become these… these disturbed, terrified creatures? No. No way, that just wasn't possible. How could little old me, a girl of 17, do this to someone else? Granted, I was barely human, but that was the whole point, right? If I was already so confused and suffering myself, how did I have the energy – let alone the power – to affect these two so severely? There was just no way.

I sighed in defeat, and sent a messenger bat to the infirmary. I couldn't fix this myself; besides, even I needed fixing. I had to call in some nurses and doctors to carry these two off to the infirmary, since they wouldn't even let me come near them. It hurt and upset me, sure, but I wasn't going hurt and upset _them_ even more, right? They were already in such horrible condition…

With a rueful smile, I watched as the nurses took the two screaming students away on a stretcher, with something like the equivalent of a straightjacket wrapped around the two.

* * *

><p>"Midnight, you won't believe what happened today," I sighed, on the verge of crying. I collapsed on my bed, not even bothering to change out of my uniform. I felt even worse than I had before, and medicine and cold drinks just didn't seem to help at all. Even the doctors couldn't do anything, but I wasn't going to pester them any further. They had two new patients to deal with.<p>

"Meow. Me-me-meow? Mrooow. Muuurrrr…"

"Midnight, what's wrong with you? Why are you so vocal today…?" I scratched her behind her ears, in a futile attempt to quiet her meows. No such luck; she continued to talk to me in her cat language, and even tried to bite at my bracelets!

"No, Midnight!" I growled impatiently. "What are you doing? You can't just–"

I froze mid-sentence and lost my train of thought. I blinked a couple of times, just to make sure what I was seeing wasn't a lie. I had Midnight by her jugular, and held her in such a way that it seemed like I was strangling her. With a startled gasp, I dropped her and stepped away. What was wrong with me? Can I even trust myself anymore? I was hurting my own cat!

I held my head between my hands, and my fingers were knotted in my hair. I shook my head, again and again, in vain attempt to clear it. There was something seriously wrong with me. I wasn't human anymore… I could feel it. There was something changing inside my body – and no, not the normal human hormones. This was something more deadly, something sinister, and it could not be altered.

With a defeated sigh, I crawled under my bed covers. Forget changing into pajamas. Who needed cozy warm sleepwear when you could hardly even trust yourself to change into them? Who knows, I might be stabbing myself with PJ buttons, or muffling my cat with my pajamas bottoms. The very thought of it was horrifying.

_Whatever,_ I thought. _I give up. Whatever happens, happens. It's not like I can do anything about it anyway._

I tried to calm my worried heart and regulate my erratic breathing, and go to sleep.

Unfortunately for me, sleep just brought on a whole new round of worries and disturbances.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong>

Hey! :D

This chapter isn't that promising, I know, but I wanted to get the atmosphere/setting ready for the next chapter. Trust me, it's going to be amazing. ;) This one's more like a filler.

I know you guys must all be sick of Ame and her little dramas, but it all leads up to something big! I won't give anything away now, so you'll just have to trust me and read on!

LOL, and poor little Yukari has been the target of pedophile perverts yet again… it's ok though, 'cause Ame ended up "saving" her (if not indirectly traumatizing the two culprits).

Anyway, thanks for reading! I hope you'll enjoy the next chapter… I put a lot of effort into it. x)

- ACookieZ


	24. Chapter 24: Worst Nightmare

**Angel vs. Demon**

Chapter 24 – Worst Nightmare

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong>

I know I don't usually comment during the beginning of the chapter, but I have to warn you all that the beginning (the nightmare/dream part) is rather long. x( It is, as the title says, Ame's "worst nightmare", so I tried to make it as horrific and as haunting as possible… it couldn't help but be longer than usual. I'd really appreciate it if you read through it all, though! There are certain details in here that are really important later on. ;)

Alright, let's continue!

- ACookieZ

* * *

><p>"<em>It's finally here," the voice said. "The time has come…!"<em>

_Looking around me, I realized I was back in my chasm. I have these nightmares almost every night, now, on a regular basis. And every night, the black walls of emptiness get closer. _

_In this particular dream, it seemed like the voice was right; I could now put my hands on either side of me, and my palms would push up against a black wall. Be sure, though, that I still had no physical form in my dream. I had no hands, and I couldn't feel the wall at all, even though I knew it was there. The so-called "walls" had no texture. I only knew there was something there because I couldn't push the darkness farther away; it stayed where it was._

"_What's going to happen?" I asked the voice. I was already frightened. I breathed in and out, trying to remind myself that this was all just a dream, nothing more. Bad idea, though; the air seemed to be limited. I was starting to hyperventilate and feel claustrophobic._

_The voice chuckled. "You'll see."_

_The black walls closed in, suddenly and rapidly. I gasped in surprise. It has never been this quick before! Sure, I noticed it getting narrower, but this was too much. Soon, it was pressed not against my non-existent palms, but my shoulders. I felt like I was being condensed into some Ame-cube. _

"_Stop it!"__ I cried out. "__Please, stop! I can't breathe… I'm going to _die_!"_

_The voice didn't answer. I could only hear its breathing, getting faster and heavier. It seemed to be excited, anticipating the moment when I will be compressed to death._

_The moment came._

_I was too overwhelmed; the darkness seemed to crush my entire body, my outer shell. It made its way inwards and stayed there, planted in my soul. The darkness was, unfortunately, inside of me. It won… it got its ways. I felt stunned though, because I had expected something bigger. Yes, sure, it reached inside me, but I still felt the same; the darkness didn't hurt._

_Then it hit me._

_Searing pain lashed across my body like fire, spreading from within me. The darkness worked its way out from the inside, so I had no way of getting rid of it. How could you eliminate something that was already physically a part you? Try as I might, it was just not possible._

_The burning increased. My insides were consumed; it felt like acid was dripping onto my internal organs. What made it worse was that I couldn't see my body, so it only intensified the pain. I screamed, although I knew no one would be able to hear me except for the voice. My lungs burned, and my eardrums hurt from all my shrill vocal work. I couldn't take it anymore… I seriously would rather be dead. _

_Suddenly, I felt the darkness bubble inside of me. It swirled around in my body, tossing and turning my insides this way and that. The pain overflowed until it reached my head and was practically coming out of my ears. My eyes burned, I couldn't breathe, and I started gasping helplessly. The darkness seemed to combust inside of me, and blew my invisible, non-existent body into a million shattered pieces. _

_After a while – I didn't know how long – the pain seemed to end. I was lying down, still in one piece, thankfully, in a puddle of dark liquid. _

_Wait. How had I known that…? _

_I blinked, brought my hands up to my face and rubbed my eyes just to make sure I wasn't hallucinating. I actually had my body back! I could see it, could feel it… Up ahead, it even seemed to be brighter. There were lights! My mind felt dislocated from my body, but that didn't stop me from trying to crawl forward on all fours towards that light. _

_When I looked behind me, though, my eyes widened and my chest started to pound. Bloody handprints were smeared onto the ground, and they led up to… me. Looking at my hands, I realized they were covered in blood._

That was what the dark puddle of liquid was,_ I realized, sickened. _It was blood! Did it come from me? Did I hurt anyone…?

_A scream was heard behind me, and – without another backwards glance – I faced forwards and crawled away. I didn't have time to worry about anything else; I could finally move, and there were lights up ahead of me. I had to escape!_

_As I crawled towards the lights, I felt invisible hands grab my ankles. They tickled my feet and wrapped around my legs. More hands caressed my face, and whispers began to be heard against my ears._

"_Yeah, that's it, little girl… crawl towards the light. That's what they all do!"_

"_Hmm… a nice, fresh, fleshy young body…"_

"_DIE!"_

"_You can't escape from here…"_

_I held my breath and bit my tongue until I tasted blood, willing myself not to cry out. Instantly, I regretted it. I didn't need more blood. Instead, I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to ignore the whispers. I had to get away. I had to escape! I was coming close to the light, anyway… I could feel it. It was shining on my face, startling warm inside this dark chasm._

"_No!"_

"_Come, back…"_

"_Stay with us! Don't leave!"_

"_We'll find you…!"_

_I opened my eyes as the whispers faded, and the hands disappeared from my body. I began to smile… until I saw the light in front of me. It wasn't light._

_It was fire._

_I felt hopelessly trapped. Where was I supposed to go now? I couldn't go back there, back to the whispers and the caressing hands. But am I supposed to crawl through the fire?_

_Then, through the blazing flames, I saw a silhouette. As I squinted to get a better look, I saw the back of a man, faced away from me. I couldn't tell his age, exactly, but he looked young. Suddenly, other figures began to appear around the male. There were men and women of all ages, shapes, and sizes. There were different ethnicities, and even old grandparents and newborn infants. Gradually, animals began to pop up among the flames. Birds, beasts, everything…_

_It wasn't a happy gathering, though. None of them were talking or looking at each other, or even making noise. They hardly acknowledged one another; they all stood as still as statues, looking down._

_Then they began to burn._

_They flesh sizzled and popped in the fire, and the furs of animals burned off and fell out. The flammable clothes on the people shrivelled up and burned to a crisp. One by one, their hair began to catch fire until their whole heads lit up. If I wasn't so scared that I was about to crap my pants right then, I might have laughed at the sight. But the people owned nothing now, not even the clothes on their backs. The fire consumed everything, even their identities. They all began to look the same. Then…_

_All at once, in unison, they turned their heads and looked at me, even the animals. I was so startled I almost started crawling back the way I came. Their eyes were filled with pain, hatred, remorse, pain, confusion, and yet more pain. That was scarier than if they'd had blank, dead looks on their faces. All their expressions screamed: Why? Why me? _

_And I didn't have the answer. I was just as confused as they were. _

_I scrambled back, away from they fire, trying hard not to scream. I couldn't take any more of this. Even if it's just a dream, I couldn't… it was just so horrifying! Absolutely horrifying. I backed away into the darkness once again, and I could feel the fingertips of a million different hands reaching out to touch me. _

_I was trapped! In front of me were the blazing flames, and behind me was the black chasm, along with thousands of caressing hands waiting for me. I let out a high-pitched, eardrum-shattering shriek, hoping to wake me up from this nightmare._

_It didn't. Instead, I had caught the attention of the male figure in the middle of the fire. Somehow, his clothes weren't burnt. His hair didn't catch fire. He was perfectly fine, just standing there among the flames. Slowly, he turned around. The fire around him was reflected in his eyes, and flames seemed to dance in there. _

_I gasped. I knew this guy! He was – _

_"Hello, Ame," he whispered. My eyes widened; I was in a state of shock._

_This guy… he had the very same voice that had haunted me in my dreams. He was "the voice"._

* * *

><p>I woke up – sprang up, to be correct – and knocked my cat to the ground. I still felt terrified, although I didn't know why. I was fine, physically… I wasn't burnt, I was still in one piece, and I was where I was supposed to be, not in some dark chasm. But there was one thing still bothering me. That guy in the fire, the one that didn't burn…<p>

Who was he again?

I thought I knew him; I recalled his face from somewhere, but… Ugh. I didn't remember. I couldn't tell who he was. I hated when you forgot your dreams as soon as you awoke… it made you feel like you lost some important piece of information, even though you were just dreaming.

Shaking my head, I got up to drink some water. There was still that uncomfortable prickling sensation in the back of my neck that I wanted to get rid of, and lying in bed wasn't going to help me.

After I poured myself a glass of cold water, I sat down at my table to rest. I was extremely worn out, surprisingly, like I had undergone some surgery without having the physical setbacks. I just felt worn out. Maybe if I'd rest a bit…

"Ame!" someone called. I straightened up, and my glass of water tipped and fell to the ground. It shattered into a million pieces, and the water leaked onto my carpet. Groaning, I stood up. I'd fallen asleep without knowing it, and this was my consequence.

"Ame, hurry, come outside! Something horrible happened!" Moka stood at my door, a frantic look on her face. I frowned at her. I might have been sleeping, and wasn't paying any attention, but how had she come in? My door was supposed to be locked…

"Moka, how'd you get in?"

"What? Your door was wide open, so I got in, of course, like a normal person would… Wait, there's no time to worry about that now! We've got to evacuate!"

"Evacuate?"

"Yeah, it seemed that someone blew huge holes through most of the dorms! The students and the teachers… We all have to gather outside now. There might be a risk of fire."

Whoa. How had I slept through something that big? I was normally a light sleeper… Shaking my head, I scooped up my cat and followed Moka out the door. Everyone else was also in the process of getting out. Most of them were still in their pajamas, looking tired and disoriented. I was one of those people.

Ms. Nekonome (who, as I have come to the conclusion, seemed to be the spokesperson for every situation) stood atop a big boulder, holding up a megaphone.

"Please, everyone, settle down! Calm yourselves, and keep quiet, meow!" She waved her arms around and even jumped up and down a few times, to get everyone's attention. Nobody seemed to be paying her any, though. They were all freaking out, pointing to the huge holes blasted into each of the dorms.

I've passed a few, too, on my way to central campus. The holes were not just dents in the walls… they were full-blown gaps and round emptiness that blew the entire wall up. Everyone could now see the rooms and beds inside the dorms, since there was nothing to, well, cover it. Some of the holes were still sizzling, though; it seemed like whoever did it blasted a huge ball of fire through the walls. But what was their purpose? Yokai Academy was supposed to be a place where everyone can get along and cooperate… whoever did the damage must have had something against that.

Either that or they were just plain crazy.

"CALM DOWN, EVERYONE!" the Headmaster shouted. He had grabbed the megaphone out of Ms. Nekonome's hands, and gave everyone that order. The crowd immediately quieted, and the Headmaster nodded in approval before passing the megaphone back to Ns. Nekonome.

"Um, well, meow," Ms. Nekonome stuttered, uncomfortable with being under all the pressure now, "It seems that we have a little problem at our paws – I mean, hands."

"A little!" someone in the audience scoffed loudly. Murmurings began to pick up as others agreed.

"Um, no," Ms. Nekonome continued. "Actually, it's a big problem. A big problem that's left holes in many of our buildings, in fact. It's difficult for us to fix this right away, as you can all see. And now, because of this, many of the students and teachers have no place to stay."

A chorus of "yeah"s and "that's right"s went up in the crowd, and Ms. Nekonome waited a few seconds before continuing.

"So, um, the faculty has made a quick decision. Since we can no longer stay at the dorms on campus, we'll just have to stay elsewhere for the time being…"

"Elsewhere _where_?" a student asked from the crowd.

"Um, meow, elsewhere outside of campus?" Ms. Nekonome tugged at her tuffs of hair nervously. "The students have been assigned different places to stay, each by grade level, because there's no place that would fit all of us. So… I guess that depends." Ms. Nekonome pulled at her skirt, unsure of what to say.

Ms. Ririko, who was standing behind her, sighed and stepped up to grab the megaphone away from her.

"Ahem," she began, "freshmen students will be staying in cabins near the forest – they will be driven there first, so they must pack immediately after this announcement – and sophomore students will be staying at a hotel near the sea. You will be driven there second. Juniors will be staying in cabins in the mountains; be sure to pack lots of warm clothing. And finally, the ones who'll be driven last, seniors. You'll all be staying in hotels in the human world."

"What?" A series of complains echoed in the air as the seniors opposed this idea.

"Don't whine at _me_," Ms. Ririko huffed, turning her head away. "It wasn't _my_ idea."

"Um, meow, I'm sure you'll all be okay," Ms. Nekonome said, hesitantly taking the megaphone from Ms. Ririko. "I've had my Newspaper Club go there last summer, and they were perfectly fine…"

"Perfectly fine?" Kurumu cried out indignantly, somewhere on the other side of the crowd. "We almost got killed!"

"Anyway," Ms. Ririko snapped, snatching the megaphone away, "All the rest of the hotels and whatnot were full; we had nowhere else to put you seniors! And you're all big and strong, anyway, right? You won't get eaten out there…"

Another round of complains were heard.

"Oh, stop it, all of you!" Ms. Ririko cried exasperatedly. "You're graduating students! After you all leave this school, most of you are going to have to go into the human world anyway! What good has all our teaching done if you can't even stay there for a couple of weeks?"

The angry seniors calmed, having nothing left to complain about, but there was still that tension in the air. Being a senior myself, I wondered just what was so bad about going to the human world. It's not like we were gonna hurt the monsters… as long as they all stayed in human form, I'm sure no one could even tell. I was more worried about the humans, to be honest. What were they going to do when a few monsters suddenly felt hungry and was in need of a midnight snack?

Moka, all tense and nervous beside me, whispered in my ear, "We actually did go to the human world last year. Not to say too much, but let's just say that carnivorous plants and scary humans are not fun."

My eyes widened, and I snapped my open mouth shut. It was ok; whatever happens, we'll all stick together, right? And the human world was my world, not to mention Tsukune's. We'll all be fine.

"Ok, students!" Ms. Nekonome said, finally having the megaphone back into her hand. "Start packing!"

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong>

Hey everyone!

Thanks for reading this chapter~ I really hope you liked it. x) I spent weeks on the first part of the chapter (on Ame's nightmare)! There were lots of editing and drafts involved, to say the least. xP

So yeah, I've got our monster friends to go on another trip to the human world! Not because I'm running out of ideas, though. x I'm doing this because… well, you'll see. It has to do with Kenta. ;)

- ACookieZ


	25. Chapter 25: Vacation?

**Angel vs. Demon**

Chapter 25 – Vacation?

"Cheer up, everyone," Tsukune said brightly, plastering a smile onto his face. "It won't be like last time! We will not run into any problems this time, I promise…"

"Sure," Mizore said wryly, a lollipop in hand. She didn't have to worry about the heat in the human world, since it was autumn over there. She wouldn't be at the risk of melting, so thankfully she could join us.

"Hurry, c'mon, everyone!" Garron called, waving at us from the bus stop. At a time like this, I would expect Kenta to be the one pumped up and excited, but to my surprise, Kenta was trailing behind us quietly, trying to make himself seem as small as possible. It was Garron who tried to keep the atmosphere spirited.

"Kenta, what's wrong?" Kurumu asked him, bending over to feel his forehead. "Are you feeling sick?"

Kenta leaned away from her giant chest, looking red-faced. "No, I'm fine. I'm just… not too excited about going to the human world."

"Oh, don't you worry!" Yukari cried, suddenly appearing at his shoulder. "I felt the same way last year, but I adjusted so fast. With Tsukune and the others beside you, there's nothing to be scared of!"

"It's not the humans themselves I'm scared of," Kenta muttered. But it seemed that no one seemed to hear it except for me, and I guess that Kenta preferred it that way; I decided not to comment.

"Get on, get on," drawled a deep, jaded voice from ahead. Looking up, I saw the bus driver leaning against the Yokai Academy school bus. His eyes seemed to glow from below the rims of his uniformed cap, and it gave me an unsettling feeling.

One by one, we hoisted our suitcases and baggage through the door, throwing ourselves in after them. We had to hurry; we were running a bit late. Moka and Tsukune sat down together, and across from them were Kurumu and Mizore. Just behind them sat Yukari and Kenta; Garron and I were across from them. Kiseki, being as anti-social as ever, sat all by himself in the last row.

Just after we settled in, all the other seniors filled in. Most of them were loud and obnoxious, and the ones that weren't talking looked terrified to be going to the human world.

"Ready, kids?" the bus driver chuckled, pulling his cap down ever lower over his eyes. How he could even see where he was driving, I didn't know. Nevertheless, he stepped on the gas pedal, and we sped forward towards the tunnel that would take us all to the human world.

* * *

><p>"Ah, how long has it been?" I yawned, stretching in my seat. Garron sat beside me, as attentive as always. He smiled when I looked at him, and I grinned back.<p>

"You must've been tired, huh?" he asked. "You fell asleep a few seconds after the bus began to move."

"Huh," I commented, frowning. "I think it's just because I'm tired. Or maybe it's the weird dreams I've been having… Most of the time they physically exhaust me."

"Really?" Garron's eyes flashed, interest clear in his eyes. "How?"

"Well," I said slowly, unsure of how to explain. "They're like nightmares… and they're all really, _really_ scary. But recently, I've had the worst one so far. There was this really weird guy… I think…" I scowled, trying to remember. "I don't recall his face…"

Garron sighed, looking relieved. "At least you're ok now, right?"

"Yeah," I smiled. Talking to Garron always made me feel so much better.

"Alright, pit stop!" the bus driver suddenly called, pulling over. "Hunt, relieve yourselves, do whatever you need to do. It's still another twenty minutes before we reach our destination."

Students groaned, and several filed out in a single line to go outside. My friends and I were one of these people.

"My bladder!" Kenta kept complaining, making me smile.

"Alright, alright, let's go," I said, ruffling his head. He scowled, and pulled his baseball cap down lower over his head.

"Should we leave our stuff here?" Kurumu asked, hovering over her bags. It looked like it physically hurt her not to be able to take her things along.

"Leave them; we'll be back soon anyway." Mizore said, gingerly stepping around her to exit the bus. Kurumu hesitated, and then swiftly followed her. Together, we made our way to the restrooms.

* * *

><p>I came out earlier than the others and stood in front of the washrooms, rocking back and forth on my heels. I thought about Midnight, who I'd left behind at Ruby's, and felt sad. So far I hadn't been taking very good care of her… I could only leave her in other peoples' care. What was the use of her staying here with me, anymore? I almost strangled her that last time…<p>

I shuddered uncontrollably. I'd become such a monster… and not the good kind, either.

"Hey, Ame," Kiseki called. I turned around to see him strolling towards me, hands in his pockets. He looked about as bored as I did, so I stroke up a conversation.

"Hi, Kiseki!" I said. "So, you excited about the human world?"

He seemed to think for a moment. "No, actually. There's just nothing to look forward to."

"That's not true!" I protested, shocked. I knew that Kiseki wasn't easily impressed, but to say that there was nothing to look forward to in the human world – _my_ world – made me a little offended.

"There's plenty of things to look forward to…" I added. When he still didn't look convinced, I tried another tactic. Ideas began to build up in my head, each one more touristy and cheesy than the last. I began rattling them off. "How about I show you all the neat places to go? We have amusement parks, rides, movie theatres, shopping centres, zoos, parks, and food places – _human_ food places…"

"Hmm. Alright," he said in consideration, nodding. He actually smiled a bit. I grinned up at him, feeling proud that I'd just given him something to look forward to.

"Hey, what's taking everyone so long?" Yukari said, coming towards us. She seemed ready to go, but where was everyone else?

"We're done, we're done!" Kurumu cried, skipping towards us. Behind her trailed Tsukune, Moka, Mizore, and finally Kenta. Garron was not with them… he was probably still hunting.

"Hurry, we've got to leave now!" Yukari announced, waving towards the bus. People were already starting to pile in.

"But what about Garron?" I asked. "We can't leave without him…"

"Ugh, right," Kurumu grumbled, looking around for him. "He's taking so long…!"

"How about we split up and look for him?" Tsukune suggested. "I'm sure he's not far from here… he's probably somewhere in the woods."

"Right," Moka agreed. "That's a good idea. We'll do that…"

We headed separate ways, calling out to Garron every now and then. I didn't find any fault in Garron's absence… I understood that he had to hunt, in his own way, on his own. He probably just didn't want us looking at him while he fed. I would've done the same if I were in his position.

"Garron?" I called gently but firmly, hoping he could hear. I didn't call for him at the top of my voice like Kurumu did. She was knocking down shrubs and flattening bushes, stomping around in the forest blatantly in her hurry to return to the bus. "Garron…?"

"You called for me?" Garron's voice was suddenly heard behind me. I spun around in surprise with a hand on my chest, and tried to calm my rapid breathing.

"Garron! Gosh, you scared me…" I muttered, glaring at him. I didn't even hear him come up behind me… A look at the bright, swirling "life force" inside his eyes, though, confirmed my thoughts from before. He'd been hunting; of course he'd be extra powerful.

"C'mon, let's go," I said, tugging at his arm. "We're gonna be late for the bus!"

Garron probably could have gotten back to the bus in less than a minute by himself, but he allowed me to tug and drag him there. As soon as we emerged from the forest and the rest of my friends saw us, they freaked out.

"Ame! Where were you?" Kurumu cried, upset.

"We couldn't find Garron, so we came out by ourselves," Yukari explained.

"And as soon as we did, we saw the bus leaving!" Moka added, huffing and twisting her hands together nervously. "We tried calling after the bus driver…"

"But he just left," Mizore finished, looking calm and collected. None of this seemed to bother her too much. "He drove away even faster, if I may add…"

"Great," Kiseki said, looking pissed off. "_Now_ how am I supposed to go to my movie theatre and eat my human food?"

"What did you say?" Moka asked, looking at him in disbelief. "Go to _where_ and eat your _what_?"

"Nothing," Kiseki muttered, his eyes looking anywhere but at my amused expression. "Let's think of a way to get to the hotel…"

"We can always walk," Tsukune said, looking wistful. We agreed that there was no better solution, so we decided to set out on foot. Or by wings, if things got too difficult. We would take turns carrying one another.

After a long half-hour trek, we had only just arrived. We were at the edge of the city, not even close to our destination, but we decided we couldn't journey any longer; we had to rest a bit before hiking across streets and buildings and people. Mizore – always sneaking off every couple minutes – said she found a nice little cave-like place for us to rest in. It was dry and warm, and that was all that mattered to us. We agreed to take refuge in that area before continuing our journey.

"Alright," Tsukune said, leading the way in through the opening. "Let's rest here for a bit. We can probably collect some water and berries to eat or something… but dang, I wish we had our supplies and bags."

"Hah!" Kurumu cried. She sprang up and pointed an accusing finger at Mizore. "I _knew_ we had to bring our stuff along! But _oh no_, someone said that we were gonna be back soon… Well-"

"Shh," Mizore said. She wasn't even paying attention to Kurumu, which only infuriated her further. It wasn't a serious argument or a hateful debate, though, so I didn't bother breaking it up. I could tell there were no hard feelings; it was just so hilarious to see these two bickering…

"I had my frying pan, chocolate, cookies, and a water bottle in there!" Kurumu proclaimed, her hands on her hips. "I also brought a flashlight, a blanket, and something else in another bag… I bet you wished we had them here now, didn't you?"

"Argh, you're so loud, Kurumu!" Mizore cried, exasperated. "Be quiet for a second! Listen carefully… can't you hear that?"

"Hear what?" Kurumu asked suspiciously.

All of a sudden the flapping of wings could be heard, coming from deep within the cave. Even my weak human ears could detect it. Was that squeaking I heard, as well?

"Hear _that_," Mizore answered, backing away warily.

The wing-flapping got louder, and louder still, as something burst out from within the dark corners of the cave… something terrible and big and–

"A bat?" Garron said, stating the obvious. The bat was relatively big and appeared to be adult-sized. It was quite chubby-looking, but its entire body was hairless and pink. It looked like it had patches of its fur torn off…

"It doesn't look like a full _bat_-bat," Yukari concluded, looking at it in confusion. "It's more like a newborn… all furless and stuff."

"Uh-oh," Kurumu said, sounding anxious. "Whenever there's a baby, there has to be…"

A flurry of wings was heard in the direction where the "baby" bat came out from. But this, this sounded more like small claps of thunder rather than the flapping of wings. Something huge was inside this cave, and we'd just been stupid enough to go anger it.

A huge panda-sized bat burst in after its newborn, looking as ferocious and vicious as a mother bat can get.

"_Damn_," Kiseki commented as he looked up at the giant bat. "I didn't know they made 'em this big!"

"This bat is obviously a monster," I said. "No human could ever 'make' this!"

I guess the bat was pissed off after hearing that, because it opened its mouth and released a long belch-like blast of sound; it echoed off the walls of the cave and headed straight into my ears. It didn't just feel like my eardrums were gonna shatter, oh no; it make it feel like my entire body was going to break into a million pieces.

"AH!" Kurumu screamed, hands over her ears. "Make it stop!"

"Th-this is some kind of demon bat creature…!" Yukari shouted. I was surprised she was still coherent enough to think at this point. My mind was filled with nothing but echoing screams.

Just as we were all about to give into the piercing cries, a blinding red light flashed inside the cave. It glowed and radiated throughout, briefly stunning the bat.

_Ah,_ I thought to myself knowingly, smiling despite my killing headache. _Leave it to Moka to save everyone…_

"Make a shield!" Inner Moka told me, above all the noise. Her deep voice momentarily disturbed me; I was always so used to Outer Moka's sweet soprano voice.

"Right on it," I replied, squeezing my eyes shut. I focused on a big golden dome all around us, excluding the giant bat of course. It materialized, and cast a golden sheen on the rock's surface. At once, the echoes seemed to bounce off of the globe; we were no longer in pain.

Inner Moka leaped out of the circle – before I could even respond – and bounded towards the bat. The monster opened its nasty mouth to send another wave of piercing sound at her, but she was faster than that – she was faster than sound. Her lightning speed got her in front of the monster just in time to send it a spinning kick across the face. The bat tumbled out of midair and dropped down onto the ground, squeaking in pain. It made no noise now. Moka took slow, deliberate steps towards the creature, staring into its pitch-black eyes.

All of a sudden, out of nowhere, the tiny baby bat crawled in front of the bigger bat. It stayed there, rooted in front of its mother, and spread its wings as wide as it would go.

"_Squeak_!" it cried. "_Squ-squeak_…!"

Inner Moka looked down, an ambiguous expression on her face. "You poor little thing…"

I let out a gush of air in relief. So Moka thought the newborn was pitiful! That meant that she wasn't going to hurt it, right? That was great… considering that it was Moka, I'd thought she'd…

"… you poor, _delirious_ little thing. You think you can protect your mother? With that weak, frail body of yours? Ha!" She raised her fist, about to-

"Stop!" I cried, shocked. "Stop it, Moka. Please, don't…"

The newborn cowered in front of Moka, but refused to budge. Nothing seemed to sway it in its duty to protect its mother. How could Moka be unaffected by that? No, wait… she wasn't unaffected. Knowing her, she probably felt more pain than I was feeling right now, watching this heartbreaking scene. She was just good at hiding it, too good. She knew what she had to do, and she didn't hesitate to do it.

Moka looked at me, one eyebrow raised. "What do you want to do, Ame? Save it? No, _raise_ it? You're too foolish…"

"No," I gulped, stepping out of the circle as well. "I just don't want to kill it, that's all. You really want to hurt them? Mother and child?"

Moka said nothing.

"See, you don't! Neither do the rest of us. So please, whatever you do, just let me try something first…! I won't let it terrorize the humans here, but I won't just let it die, either."

Truthfully, I had no idea what I was going to do. But I trusted my instincts; and my instincts told me to go along with what I have and find a way to save these creatures.

I closed my eyes, and envisioned mother and child in a large golden sphere. I thought of the monster jungles somewhere in the monster world; I'd never been there, but I'd seen plenty of visuals to know what they looked like. I pained a picture in my mind's eye, and put these two bats into the picture. The golden globe would transfer them to their new home… where they would hopefully fit in and not get hurt as easily.

I heard gasping, but I dared not open my eyes for a few more seconds. Slowly, I opened my eyes – one at a time – and looked at the bats.

They were gone.

"Ame, how did you do that?" Garron asked, shocked.

"I-I…"

Moka snorted as if it was no big deal, but I could tell she was impressed. "She doesn't even know what she did."

I smiled, nonetheless, and felt a burden lifted from my shoulders. My conscience – the good one, mind you – was right once again, and I was glad I trusted it. I was afraid I'd failed it too many times for it to guide me, but it turned out I probably still had some hope in me.

"Ok," Mizore said. Her head popped out from behind a rock. "Now that that thing's gone… we can sleep, right?"

Tsukune sighed, smiling. "Yes. Yes… Let's rest, everyone."

There was going to be a long day up ahead.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong>

Hello everyone!

Ame discovered a new ability in this chapter! :) There were so many chapters on her "demonic" side and her "evil" powers, I decided to even things out a bit. Hopefully you enjoyed this new development~

Also, they're getting close to the city! You should be excited - many things are gonna happen once they reach their destination, hehehe~ x)

- ACookieZ


	26. Chapter 26: Her Smell

**Angel vs. Demon**

Chapter 26 – Her Smell

"C'mon, gang, we're almost there!" Kurumu declared. The rest of us, huffing and puffing, hurried after her. For some weird reason, she had enough energy left to skip ahead and lead us to our destination… And now, here we were, in the human world.

"Wow, the human world! It's…" Moka struggled for the right words. "… not as I remembered it."

"Of course!" Tsukune said, laughing lightly. "We're in a different area now, not where we were last time on our trip to the human world. I think our location now is… hmm, I don't actually know. But it's nowhere close to my place."

"Wait a sec," Yukari asked. Thinking ahead – like always – she stopped an elderly lady walking by and asked her for our location.

Meanwhile, Kenta looked around nervously, his nose twitching. He looked ready to bolt. I wanted to ask him what was wrong, but at that moment Yukari came back to us.

"Yup, just as I calculated," she announced, skipping back to us. "We're on the right track, so don't worry. We're in the right area… I think our hotel should be here somewhere."

"We're lucky," Kiseki stated, looking around him. His eyes followed the couple of cars that drove by the streets. "The hotel is close to the edge of the city. If it wasn't…"

"Ok, now, don't be negative!" Kurumu chided, hauling him along with the rest of us. "Just look forward to this: Once we find our hotel and reunite with the teachers and staff, we can yell at the bus driver till our hearts' content!"

I smiled. It wasn't so bad traveling all the way here, after all. I was with my friends, and we spent the journey telling jokes and sharing stories. It was great for passing the time.

"Alrighty, here we are!" Moka announced. Garron took out a piece of paper and checked the address, then nodded in agreement.

Looking up at the building, I felt overwhelmed. It was enormous, and towered over us like a giant. How anyone could miss a hotel this size, I don't know… but I was sure happy we found it.

"Phew, I can finally put my feet up and rest!" Kurumu exclaimed, opening the double doors and inviting herself in. "Can't wait for room service… We all need to get something to eat."

"Are you sure this is where we're supposed to be?" Kenta asked tentatively. He still looked unsure of all this, and I supposed that he was just nervous about the whole human-world experience. It still bothered me, though, because I couldn't stand to see Kenta looking so vulnerable. I wanted to protect him, and I didn't know how… or what _from_, in fact. I had tried to ask him what was wrong a while ago, and he simply brushed me off. He wasn't ready to talk about it, so I wasn't going to force him. I just hoped that his time here would gradually become more enjoyable.

Garron – the gentleman – and Moka and Tsukune checked us in at the front desk, and made sure that the teachers and other students were in their designated rooms.

Although the guys and girls shared different rooms, we were not too far off from each other. The beds were all very comfortable, and Kurumu took as much advantage as she could of the room service. We unpacked what we had and settled down fairly quickly.

We heard a knock on our door. "Hey, you guys ready?" Tsukune asked. Kurumu quickly sprang up from the bed and threw the door open.

"I'm ready~" she replied, squeezing him in a tight hug. "But where are we going?"

"To check in with Ms. Nekonome," Garron answered for him, for Tsukune was incapable of doing it at the time. He was too busy trying to inhale some air – Kurumu's chest was a suffocating place to have one's face in.

"Oh yeah," Mizore muttered, suddenly appearing behind the door. "We promised to yell at them for leaving us after we got here."

I nodded in determination. "Let's go do that, then."

The teachers' rooms were upstairs, and although we didn't exactly go through with our plan (in fear of disturbing the rest of the visitors and causing a commotion), Ms. Nekonome promised not to abandon us again.

"But I was so excited to leave," she explained, looking at us guiltily. "I mean, I've been anticipating the human fish here since the last time we left!"

Everyone rolled their eyes, but no one could blame her. In the midst of all this, I suddenly noticed that Kenta had disappeared. My mild surprise quickly turned to worry as I noticed that his shoes were gone after a quick check in the guys' room.

"Hey, has anyone seen Kenta?" I asked, barging into the girls' room. Everyone was gathered there, playing cards.

"Nope," Kiseki answered, not looking away from his pile of cards. "No wonder it's so quiet and peaceful."

Moka poked him in the ribs with her elbow, but he skillfully dodged it. Normally that would have been amusing to me, but right now I was in a hurry. Shaking my head, I spun around and headed downstairs to the main lobby. I could ask the guy at the front desk if he saw a little boy with white hair pass by.

On the way down, I bumped into someone.

"Oops, I'm sorry!" I apologized, quickly stepping back.

"No, it was my bad," the person apologized.

_That voice…_

"Kenta?" I gasped, setting my hands on his shoulders. I twisted my neck to look at his eyes, which were covered by his long white bangs. He had his baseball cap on, and that shielded his eyes all the more.

"Hi." He smiled, although I could tell something was wrong.

"Where were you? I was so worried!"

"I was just…" He hesitated, debating whether or not to tell me. "Poking around."

"What?" I asked in confusion. I shook my head and began again. "Okay, something's wrong here, Kenta. You've been acting weird all day! Tell me what the matter is."

Kenta looked down. "If I tell you, will you promise to keep this a secret?"

I faltered, unsure of how to answer. Keeping it a secret meant not telling anyone else, right? So then what about Tsukune and the others? I was sure they had to know.

"Um, sure, I promise," I answered after a moment's hesitation. I needed to know what was wrong first, and then maybe I could be of help, even if the others didn't know.

"I was anxious," Kenta began. He certainly looked very anxious. "I could smell her from a mile away. We just kept getting closer and closer to her, and her smell got stronger and stronger while we headed to our destination…"

"Wait, wait… 'her'? Her who?"

"My mother."

The answer was not what I expected. Kenta literally sounded terrified right now, and of what? Of his own mother! If he had answered that the "her" was a big bad monster or something, or an angry ex-girlfriend out to get him, I wouldn't have been surprised… but "her" as in Kenta's mother? Despite that fact, though, something else bugged me even more.

"You _smelled _her?" I asked incredulously.

"No! I mean, _yes_… Well, I picked up her scent. I know she's somewhere in this city, close to where we are. You should know, Ame… it's a dog demon thing."

"Oh. Right."

"But anyway, I had to make sure, so I snuck outside while you guys were getting ready and followed the trail. It led me right to her house, I think… it was where her scent was the strongest. But I didn't go near it."

"Why not?" I asked in surprise. "It's your mother, isn't it?"

"I was too scared to," he confessed. "I didn't want to. She…"

Memories hit me like lightning. I remembered Kenta telling me back then – way back when I first found him – that his father was a pure-bred, full-on dog demon… and that his mother was a human. And that she hated him and kicked him out multiple times.

"Oh, no…" I murmured, feeling terrible for even asking. How could I be so stupid? I should have thought before asking.

"Yeah," Kenta grumbled, looking down and scuffing his shoes on the ground.

"So what are you going to do now?" I asked him. "You didn't go meet her… so you're just going to leave without telling her you're here?"

"What's the use in that?" Kenta asked bitterly. "She'll just find some way to ditch me again like she did before."

I had no reply. Could I just tell him to meet her? To talk to her, while we both knew that she wouldn't listen? But it wouldn't do for him to simply leave without letting her know he was alive…

"How about we call her?" I asked, desperate for a solution. "Or leave her a note?"

"No, it's ok." Kenta shook his head slowly. "You don't have to do something just because I told you what happened."

With that he slowly turned around and walked away, heading upstairs to his room. He left me standing there at the bottom of the stairs, looking up at his retreating figure and biting my lips nervously.

No, I didn't want to be a nosy person and butt in on his personal life (especially a personal life so complicated), but it just didn't feel right to not do anything. Especially when I know that it was hurting him so badly to simply _be_ in this city, where his mother was. But I didn't see how I could help him; I didn't even know where she lived. With a sigh, I headed back upstairs myself.

"Wanna play cards with us?" Kurumu asked, glancing up at me as I slipped into the room. She was shuffling the deck, and seemed pleased. I suspected that she had won the last round.

"Sure," I agreed. Anything to get my mind off of Kenta's situation. I couldn't do anything to help it, so I tried to stop myself from worrying to death.

Together as a group, we watched movies, played cards/games, and ate junk food until late at night. If was around one-something in the morning when we finally decided to go to bed. It was a relief that there was no curfew for us.

"Good night, everyone!" Moka called as the guys shuffled out of the room.

"'Night," they replied. I stood by the door and gave everyone a hug as they passed by… just 'cause I felt like it. They patted me on the head and headed back to their bedrooms.

* * *

><p>"…me? Ame? Ame, please wake up…!"<p>

Startled, I woke. A voice was hissing to me in the dark, and I pulled at the blankets around me, nervous. I don't remember having any of my usual nightmares tonight, but this voice…

"It's me, _Kenta_!" the voice whispered. Relieved, I felt around in front of me until I came into contact with a face and a pair of furry ears.

"Kenta! What are you doing here in the middle of the night? You're supposed to be asleep…" I yawned.

"I tried, but I couldn't!" he huffed, clearly annoyed by this fact. "I could still smell her even when I tried to sleep… it was like her scent was burning in the back of my nose."

"Her?" I mumbled, drowsy. "Oh, right… your mother."

"So, so…"

"Kenta, hurry up please. I'm tired and I want to sleep." I looked over at the digital clock on the night stand. "It's – what – 5:00 in the morning. The sun's not even up yet."

"But can you please help me? I need you to do something for me…"

Instantly, I was fully awake. He wanted me to help him… that meant that I could perhaps solve his problem with his mother! He had finally decided to patch things up.

"Sure," I agreed instantly, not sure if I would regret it later. "What do you need?"

"I want you to come with me… somewhere. Remember when I told you I found out where she lived? Well, I was too scared to go near it before. Now I want to go look inside… if you want to come with me."

I had thought that he would come up with a brilliant plan, but this was it? It was something not even Mizore would do, sneaking off in the middle of the night to spy on someone and look inside their house.

"Kenta, it's five in the morning! I doubt they'd be awake."

"No, no, I don't want to go looking for them!" he explained, shaking his head. "I don't want her to see me. I just want to look at her once, to make sure that she's ok and stuff. You know…"

My eyes softened. This – although very weird and uncomfortable – was something I could do. And if it made Kenta happy, then why not?

"Yeah, alright. Sure." I got up and grabbed my clothes. "Just give me a second to change out of my pajamas."

"Ok."

I paused. "Wait a second, though… I just have one question. Why'd you ask _me_ to go with you? Wouldn't Mizore or anyone else be much better of a spy?"

There was a short pause. "It's because I know you'll come with me… After all, you spoil me the most, Ame." I could tell he was smiling, even in the dark, and I had to roll my eyes. I loved this kid too much for my own good.

"Alright," I said, after a couple of minutes. "I'm ready."

"Let's go?"

"Let's go."

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong>

Hello again :)

As you all know, and hopefully still remember, Kenta was "discarded" by his mother at birth. He was seen as "undesirable" – after all, he was a mutant, an odd mix between a human and a dog demon.

I wanted to expand on that and take you a little deeper into Kenta's history. I hope you guys enjoyed it, because the next chapter will be even more exciting and eventful x)

- ACookieZ


	27. Chapter 27: Betrayed

**Angel vs. Demon**

Chapter 27 – Betrayed

"Kenta, are we there yet?" I asked for the hundredth time.

I felt like one of those annoying children that sit in the backseat of the car, stare outside the window, and bother the driver every 5 minutes on where they were going and if they were there yet. But you couldn't really blame me now, could you… I'd been following Kenta for almost half an hour now, just walking street after street, alleyway after alleyway, taking the most inconvenient of routes. I mean, who ducks behind cars and hides under bridges to go to their mother's house?

"Kenta…" I whined, really annoyed now. It was 5:00 when we last left the hotel, and although the sun wasn't exactly up yet, I was afraid we'd get caught sooner or later. Tsukune or Moka or the others would find out we were gone, and early morning joggers might wonder why two slightly homeless-looking kids were out in the streets so early.

"Hold on, Ame, we're almost there."

"You said that last time, Kenta. And the time before that… and the time before that, too."

"It's not my fault, though… It was much faster when I went by myself. Now I have to slow down for you, just so you can catch up."

That silenced me for a while. I thought it was inconvenient for me… but _I_ was the one who was inconveniencing Kenta.

"There!" Kenta declared, stopping short and pointing at the house at the end of the street. "That's where she lives."

The both of us were deadly quiet, and we studied the house for a while. I didn't know what I expected. An apartment, maybe? Or a condominium. But surely not this giant, 3-story house completed with a garden, a front yard, and a driveway. Not to be mean to Kenta's mom, of course, but it was quite impressive – if slightly shocking – to see a single woman being so accomplished and living in such a huge house all by herself.

"She's living all alone?" I asked, just to make sure. "You're sure she's not rooming with anyone, or living with her family?"

Kenta sniffed the air, then scrunched up his nose. "I'm not sure… there are too many scents out here; they're messing the signal up. I can smell her, but I don't know which other scents I'm looking for. We'll need to get closer to figure out."

We padded silently up the driveway, stopping uncertainly in front of her garage. When Kenta still looked confused, I pulled at his arm and led him behind the house, where the back door was. I was sure we were trespassing and entering his mother's property, but I didn't really care just then; I didn't want all our efforts to be wasted… we'd come such a long way, and Kenta simply wanted to catch a glimpse of his mother.

"There's a window near the back door," I whispered to him, making sure not to be heard by anyone else. We didn't want Kenta's mom to see us, even though that seemed to be the most logical idea to me. "Even though it's a bit high, you can try to look in through it and see if anyone's in there."

Great. Now I was starting to sound like a creep. A stalker, maybe… but worse. Because I was trying to peek at _my friend's mother_.

Kenta crept up underneath the window, but gave a huff of resentment. "You're right, it's too tall… I can't see into it."

I looked around us to see if there was anything to climb on. There wasn't, as expected… The garden was a little way behind us, but it was fenced and locked, and there was nothing in the narrow walkway but brick on either side of us. There was nothing to step on to.

Kenta had a look of defeat on his face, as if he wanted to give up. I frantically tried to think of an idea; I didn't want him to go back depressed. Finally, after having no other options left, I let out a puff of air and got down on my hands and knees… right below the window.

"Kenta, get on," I grumbled, hating the idea that I'd get stepped on. "Step onto my back and look through the window."

Kenta hesitated, unsure if he wanted to. "Um…"

"It's ok… just take your shoes off," I added, emphasizing the last bit.

Kenta obediently shook off his sneakers and prepared to jump on me. I gave him a glare, and he checked himself before stepping onto my back foot by careful foot. A puff of air escaped me as I tried to compose myself; he weighed more than he looked.

"Sorry," Kenta whispered, struggling to lift his head above the window pane. "I'm heavy, aren't I?"

"Nope," I replied brightly, sweat beading my forehead. There was a difference between someone sitting on my back while I tried to do push-ups (which was what Moka did to me during my training), and someone standing on my back. The weight was centered differently… but I held my ground. After all, my weeks of training had to have done _some_ good.

"I can see!" Kenta cried exuberantly, forgetting to whisper for a moment. "There's people inside!"

"People?" I echoed, frowning. I thought it was just his mother…

"Yup, two." Kenta paused, then sniffed a bit. "Wait… no, three. No… two? Hold on a second…"

"Kenta," I complained, struggling to remain still. My back was aching.

"Sorry, sorry! It's just that my nose and eyes are telling me different things. I can smell three people, but there's only two people there in the room…"

If there's one thing that Inner Moka taught me, it was to put all of your senses to good use. This was what I now told Kenta.

"Listen, Kenta. Use your _ears_!"

"Oh."

There was a moment of silence while Kenta tried to hear what was inside the house. I tried, too, even though I had my own burden to maintain.

Yes, Kenta was right, there were definitely two people… two grown ups, to be exact. I could hear their slow, deep heartbeats and detect the energy coming from them. It was exceedingly different from monster energies, though… For monsters, their power was stored inside of them in a tight, compact sphere, just radiating energy. In humans, there were energy, of course, but no supernatural power; their "light" were scattered everywhere inside of them, and I could hardly see them, they were so faint.

However, something seemed to be moving in front of Kenta's mother. No, not exactly in front of… it was more like right next to. Or…

"My mother," Kenta breathed, his voice a tone of disbelief. "My mother…"

I pushed my own thoughts aside to pay attention to Kenta. "Do you see her? Who's that person standing beside her? And there's something alive near your mother, too…"

"No…"

"What?"

"No…!"

All of a sudden, Kenta jumped down from my back, almost making me collapse. He didn't even look at me, though; his eyes were locked on the window – no, what was _inside_ the window – and he just stood there. Frozen. Only his chest moved, heaving up and down rapidly like he couldn't breathe.

"What's wrong…?" I asked cautiously, slowly getting up. I patted the dirt off of my knees, without taking my eyes off of Kenta. Too late, though. Without even a glance back, Kenta spun around and bolted. He just ran; away from me, the house, and even his shoes.

"Kenta!" I called after him, trying to remind myself to be quiet. I needed him to hear me, though he obviously wasn't paying any mind.

I was just about to run after him, his shoes in hand, before I decided to figure out exactly what had bothered him so much. What had made him run away like that? I couldn't help it; I imagined the worst.

_What if his mother was dead…?_

No. Shaking my head vigorously, I focused on the power bottled up inside me. Wings were what I needed… a pair of white, fluffy, feathery wings that would levitate me up to be level with Kenta's mother's window.

Usually, they would appear right away. Today though, my power seemed to falter a little. No, it wasn't my power… I couldn't feel anything wrong with me. It was more like the white side of me didn't want to surface.

Scared, I tried it again. With great effort, my angel wings popped out of my shoulders. A few feathers drifted onto the ground, and with great shock, I realized that they were black. Reaching up behind me, I pulled at the wings on my shoulders. They weren't entirely black, much to my relief. I frowned down at the odd, black piece of feather among my numerous white ones. Now what was up with that? I didn't remember dying any of my feathers… For a moment, I was seized with fear. Feathers couldn't rot, could they? Was I deteriorating from the inside…?

_Ame_, I scolded myself, _You're getting off track!_

Flapping my wings gently, I floated off from the ground. Peering inside the window (and trying to make myself unseen), I looked around the room for Kenta's mother. She had lit a candle on the far side of the room, and, much to my gratitude, it was now light enough to see her face.

My breath caught in my throat.

Kenta's mother was beautiful. She had long, chestnut-brown hair flowing down her back, and eyes the same color as Kenta's. She was slender, if a little bit too short, but had these long, thick eyelashes that made shadows appear against her cheek. She was looking down, entirely captivated. Curious, my eyes drifted downwards to come upon…

A baby.

_A baby?_ It made sense, the baby being the small object of scattered energy I sensed Kenta's mother carrying before, but I frowned, still confused. Did Kenta have a sibling, or was Kenta's mother babysitting for some relative?

Someone standing beside Kenta's mother put his arm around her, and I looked up at him to see a man. A man, a very ordinary human, in a collared shirt and tie. He leaned forward and kissed the top of her head, then the baby's.

A wave of shock hit me as my brain processed what I was seeing… the thing that made Kenta so stunned and heartbroken. Kenta's mother had a husband. And they were happily married with a child of their own.

No words described how I felt then. Anger? No, not entirely at Kenta's mother. I couldn't blame her for making herself content. Sadness? But it this woman wasn't even related to me! I just felt so miserable and terrible on Kenta's behalf… as if I'd shouldered half of his sufferings.

The least this woman could do, though, was to call Kenta once in a while, check up on him, and inform him that she had a new family. Maybe introduce him to his new stepfather, I don't know. But this, this had to count as betrayal. I bet that it was what Kenta felt then… _betrayed_.

Leaving the happy house of humans, I drifted down till my feet touched the ground and the wings shrunk back to my shoulders. With his shoes still in one hand, I ran. Since I didn't have Kenta's ability to smell, I couldn't tell which direction he'd gone. So I just stood there in the middle of the street, dirty sneakers in hand, calling out for Kenta as tears welled up in my eyes.

_God, what can I do?_ I shouted at myself. _How do I find Kenta?_ _What do I say to the others back at the hotel…? Ugh, this is all my fault… I was responsible for him, and now look at what happened!_

After an hour of searching, shouting, and crying, I decided to return back to the hotel. I couldn't just leave without a trace; the least I could do was inform the others that I had lost Kenta. Maybe they could do something… find him, even. I bet that the amazing Inner Moka could smell him better than I could.

Sniffling, I entered the hotel lobby. The guy at the front desk looked at me in disgust; I was covered head-to-toe in dirt and grime, my hair was uncombed and floating about my face, my cheeks were stained with tears, and I carried a pair of dirty smelly sneakers in my hand.

I was too tired to give the guy a dirty look. I trudged up the stairs, knocked on my room door, and as soon as it was opened, I collapsed in the arms of whoever opened it. My cheeks collided with Kurumu's big breasts as the shoes dropped from my hands. I was too tired to even feel suffocated.

"Oh my gosh, Ame!" Kurumu cried, hauling me in. Moka, Mizore, and Yukari sat on the bed in anticipation. I forced out the story in sniffles, stutters, and barely comprehendible words, but they listened nonetheless.

"… and so, h-he's gone!" I concluded, looking down shamefully. "He's l-lost, and it's all my fault… my fault."

"No, don't say that!" Moka cried, coming over and giving me a hug. "He's not a baby anymore, Ame… I'm sure he'll be able to find a way back."

"But you don't get it!" I protested, pushing her arms away helplessly. "He was so sad, so confused, he didn't even know what he was doing! He's probably gonna do something dangerous… Oh God, the look on his face when he saw…"

Yukari, although very worried-looking and scared, remained the most collected and reasonable. "Don't worry too much… Just like Moka said, he'll be able to get back. The worst thing he can do is get himself lost, right? Kenta would never try to harm anyone or anything, let alone harm himself. So if he's lost, he'll just ask someone for directions. He just needs some time alone to think things through…"

I quieted, as things started to make sense to me. Now I felt ashamed, as I had overreacted too much.

"See?" Mizore said, patting the top of my head. "Things aren't so bad now, are they?"

"And if he's gone for more than a few hours, then we'll get people to go search for him, alright?" Kurumu promised, squeezing my arm. I nodded, calming down. I was persuaded to take a hot, calming bath, and then we'd discuss the situation. Meanwhile, while I was in the shower, they would talk about it to the boys.

They were right; the shower gave me time to think and collect my thoughts and emotions, and the hot water soothed me. I got out relatively calm and quiet, if still a little bit worried.

"Tsukune and the others are deciding what to do about this," Moka told me as I entered the room. "We've told Ms. Nekonome, of course, but she isn't sure on what to do yet."

"Of course," I mumbled, plopping down on the bed. "It's still early in the morning; I'll bet she's still munching on her fish. Two hours have passed, though…"

"Yeah, we'll send out search parties and stuff," Kurumu added. She pulled out a bag of cookies and offered me one. "Of course, it'll just be us, but it's better than nothing."

"You're right, though," I agreed, considering the situation. "Kenta's a half-demon; he can take care of himself. We'll look for him, but I'm sure he'll be fine."

"That's the spirit," Mizore encouraged, coming out of nowhere. She tugged on her shoes in the hallway while I stared at her. "Now, excuse me while I get my daily dose of Tsukune…"

I shook my head, trying not to smile. My eyes came upon Kenta's beat-up shoes, though, and I immediately felt sad again. Sure, Kenta won't be hurt physically, but I'm sure he'll be emotionally scarred for quite a while after we find him. I just hope he's not beating himself up for what he saw… Hating anyone – even himself – wouldn't make the situation any better.

"Alright, enough waiting," Moka declared, standing up. "The guys are gathered outside already; it's time to go searching for Kenta."

I nodded, getting up as well. We met in front of the hotel, and discussed our plans.

"If you were Kenta, where do you think you'd go?" Tsukune asked us.

"Hmm… probably as far away from that house as possible?" Kurumu answered. Well, that goes without saying, but…

"I'd go to someplace with no people," Kiseki said. I looked at him with interest, and he explained his statement.

"Everywhere I go, I'd see humans… couples, families, children. Even at restaurants or near the beach, there'd be people. And I wouldn't want to see them, would I? Not after what I saw through the window. Someplace secluded would be good for Kenta's mentality right now."

"That's genius!" Garron cried, slapping Kiseki on the back. He cringed away from Garron's touch, but I smiled at Kiseki proudly. Garron took the words right out of my mouth – Kiseki _was_ a genius.

"Ok, so let's go to…"

"Wait!" Moka cried out suddenly. "Where'd Yukari go?"

Looking around me, I realized that she was nowhere in sight.

"She was here just a second ago," Mizore mumbled, scratching her head.

"Oh God, no… not another one lost!"

I felt my stomach drop. Two disappearances in one day… That was more than enough for anyone to handle.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong>

Cliffhanger ending! :D

Sorry, I know it bothers you guys, but I wanted to save the rest for the next chapter :P

So, I hope you liked the chapter! It was depressing, yes, but I felt that delving into the past a little bit won't hurt; we'll just get to know more about Kenta :3

- ACookieZ


	28. Chapter 28: Found!

**Angel vs. Demon**

Chapter 28 – Found!

I alternated between calling out Yukari's name and Kenta's name miserably. I'd said them both so often that they became jumbled up; sometimes I'd say "Yukenta" or "Kenkari", almost.

We'd split up, each looking for them in a different location. I'd taken the area near the beach, even though I knew Kenta wouldn't be there. He wouldn't be on the beach, obviously, but perhaps he would be looking out into the water? Maybe on some secluded cliff or something, with the wet wind drifting through his hair, while he stared down into the deep, dark waters…

I shook my head. I had better stop thinking like that, or I'd start crying again.

Kenta gone missing was bad enough, but Yukari? From what Moka and Tsukune had told me, she hadn't dealt with humans too well the first time she came to the human world… Even though I know she's adapted quite well and is relatively comfortable, it was still hard not to worry about her.

What's worse, we couldn't even use our monster powers to aid us in finding our two missing friends. Sprouting winds midair, flying around town, and running at superhuman speed would likely cause quite the commotion. We had to look for Kenta and Yukari the old-fashioned way: on our own two legs, like a human.

Only ten minutes had passed, and I already heard excited chattering coming from our rendezvous spot. For a moment I got really angry. Weren't the others supposed to be searching for Yukari and Kenta? Why were they wasting time chit-chatting?

"Hey, Ame!" someone called. I turned around to see Kurumu standing from atop the hill (where our meeting place was supposed to be). She was waving her arms around, gesturing for me to come to her. Behind her stood the rest of the gang, Kenta and Yukari included.

"What, you guys found them already!" I was a little annoyed that I'd been the last to know; if Kurumu hadn't told me, I'd still be on that beach, searching uselessly.

"No, we didn't find them…" Tsukune corrected, "They found _us_."

"Actually, I was the one who found Kenta," Yukari said, smiling slightly. "And I convinced him to come back to us."

"So that's where you were!" Garron exclaimed. "We thought you were lost."

"I'm sorry," Yukari apologized, hanging her head. "An idea popped into my head. I thought I knew of a place where he might be, and without thinking, I just had to go and find him. You guys were worried, too, after all…"

We all took turns giving Yukari and Kenta a big hug. After that, Kenta felt that he was responsible for telling us why he had disappeared.

"I'm sorry too," Kenta began. "I didn't mean to ditch you guys… especially not you, Ame. But I just had to get away! I couldn't stand being there for a second longer. So I did, I ran away. It was cowardly of me, I admit, but I felt that I had no other choice. I wasn't completely comfortable with the human world to begin with, and back then I felt that I had no reason to stay."

"And since I know what he's going through, it was easier for me to find him," Yukari added.

"It's ok; it doesn't matter." Moka shook her head and smiled at us. "You don't have to explain yourself if you don't want to… As long as we're all here together, safe, then everything's all good."

"It would have been faster to find them if you'd let me use my powers," Kiseki grumbled at Moka. Moka opened her mouth to speak, but Tsukune cut in.

"This is the human world, Kiseki!" He gestured around himself wildly. "Do you see people with wings flying anywhere? Or people with superhuman strength running around and lifting cars?"

Kurumu and Mizore laughed sheepishly; she probably had remembered herself doing the very same things some years ago.

It wasn't until we reached the hotel that I'd realized that neither Kenta nor Yukari told us where they had hidden.

Regardless, after our return to the hotel, Ms. Nekonome had announced that we were going to take part in the carnival/fair this afternoon, located in the town square. It wasn't a very big event, but there'd be lots of people, so the eye-catching group could blend in relatively well.

"I'm so excited!" Kurumu squealed, jumping up and down. Her ponytail bobbed excessively behind her head. "I get to dress up a little, perhaps!"

"There'd be lots of human carnival games," Moka added, clasping her hands together in excitement. "I can't wait to play them…"

"There's food, too," Mizore reminded everyone. "Delicious human food… I love eating them cold."

"I'm looking forward to the sights!" said Tsukune. "This is not my hometown in Japan, so there'd be lots of new places to go to and interesting sights to see."

"It's the delicious human blood that I'm excited about," Kiseki said, sounding haughty. "There's gonna be so many warm-blooded females out there tonight…"

I smacked Kiseki lightly on the arm, warning him to behave, but he just slid out of the way. As quick as always.

"I was kidding," Kiseki laughed. "I've got my tomato juice, okay? No need to get so serious."

As I sighed wearily, Garron gazed at us with a weird, ambiguous look.

"Oh, it's going to be an interesting night tonight, alright."

* * *

><p>"What should I wear?" Kurumu moaned in distress, throwing open her suitcase. "Ms. Nekonome – that scatterbrained cat teacher – just told me two minutes ago that there was going to be a dance at the festival tonight! I didn't even pack anything decent!"<p>

"No, it's not a dance," Moka corrected. She too was scavenging through her luggage. "It's supposed to be an old-fashioned ball. It makes sense, though; this is an old-fashioned town we're in. Nothing close to the city that Tsukune lives in."

"I'd rather it be a dance," Kurumu stated. "Then I can wear something cute and simple and be done with it. This, what did you call it – a ball? – is a stupid affair. I have to wear something old-fashioned and fancy! Who brings that with them nowadays?"

"You'd better hurry." I warned. "The carnival starts at 6:00!"

Mizore, as leisurely as always, popped the lollipop out of her mouth. "I don't have to worry about a thing; no one's gonna see me at the carnival anyway. But I'll be seeing everyone else."

"You're so creepy, Mizore," I teased, shivering dramatically. In the background, I could still hear Kurumu and Moka arguing over what to wear.

"Ok, you know what?" Yukari cried, standing up and facing them. "I'll solve your problems for you. You're never gonna find anything to wear, anyways, and it's almost time to go."

"What, really?" Kurumu leaped up and bounded over to Yukari, followed closely by Moka. "How are you gonna do that?"

"Hey, I'm a witch." Yukari stood as tall as she could (which was not that tall, mind you), and set her hands on her hips. "There's nothing I can't do."

Normally, Kurumu would have reminded Yukari of just how tiny and silly she was, but in this situation, she let it go for once.

Yukari explained that she could not simply materialize dresses from nowhere. She had to have a source first, the ingredients needed to make her "magic batter". The final result produced will be the dresses.

"A witch can manipulate things, but cannot make them appear out of nowhere. To make dresses, for instance, I'll need fabric."

"Ugh, this is beginning to be harder than I thought," Kurumu grumbled. "It'll be much easier to buy dresses from the local shops in this town."

"Yeah," I added reluctantly. "There has to be a place we can go to, where all the other townspeople bought their clothes. I'm sure we'll find some suitable dresses."

Yukari hesitated. Then she pouted and crossed her arms.

"Fine," she said huffily. "I'd like to see you guys find pretty dresses that no one else is already wearing yet."

Kurumu sighed, then went over and put her arms around Yukari. "Okay, okay, don't be offended. You get to be our little tailor-dressmaker for today."

"Really?" Yukari brightened up, clutching her wand tightly in her hand. "Alright, I promise to make you guys the best ball gowns you've ever seen!"

Twenty minutes later, Yukari was finished. Sweat beaded her forehead, and she wiped her sleeve across her face.

"DONE!" she proclaimed, appraising her handiwork. She was proud of herself, I could tell. And she had a good reason to be, too…

"This is amazing," I breathed. "Yukari…"

I had nothing to say. Words couldn't describe how I felt – how we _all_ felt. Not only had she made all our dresses for us, she also created the guys suits and tuxedos as well. All within twenty minutes.

It involved a lot of work, too, as she mentioned before. It wasn't just a wave of the wand; we had to actually draw out the sketches for the outfits and watch Yukari construct the pieces one by one. It was magical, of course. Pieces of fabric flew together one after another; zippers attached themselves without anyone's help; laces and patterns appeared on the sheets of fabric like magic. Well, it _was_ magic… all that happened in just less than ten minutes. The other ten minutes Yukari used to make the guys' outfits.

I don't think Kurumu would _ever_ make fun of Yukari again, not after this. Of course, nobody would complain (except for Yukari herself) when she does, but I think it's safe to say that Kurumu wouldn't poke fun at her for a few more days.

Of course, we've all anticipated the guys reactions when we presented their suits to them. In unison, their eyebrows lifted in surprise. It was almost as if I could read their minds. _Oh, what are those? So Yukari made suits? That's surprisingly good…_

Then, _Oh, oh no. Sh*t. So we have to_ wear_ that?_ As they undoubtedly thought that, their eyebrows dipped into a deep frown and their lips pursed in confusion. We couldn't help but giggle at their expressions.

Kiseki ended up speaking everyone's minds. "So… we have to wear that?"

"No," Kurumu rolled her eyes. "Yukari made it for decoration."

"Oh, really?" said Kenta, sighing in relief. "Thank God - I thought they were for us."

I couldn't decide whether to laugh or be seriously concerned at his innocence. "I have no comment..."

"Yukari made them for you guys to wear!" Moka clarified for everyone. "Didn't Ms. Nekonome tell u anything?"

"She did," Garron admitted.

"You should see ours," Kurumu said, shaking her head. "We can't even get it through the door."

"Luckily we won't be alone," I said. "Look out the window! There's tons of people walking around in costumes."

Indeed. Many of them were in masks and ridiculous outfits… I doubted we'd be noticed even if we went outside to the streets with our true monster natures fully revealed. Succubus wings somehow attached to a girl's back? Fine. Angel and demon wings on another girl's back? Why not. And toss in a few vampires, a soul-sucker, a witch, and a half-demon, too. We'll call it a party.

Five minutes later we had arrived. The ground was cobble-stoned, and street lamps were still in use. People of all ages littered the streets, and joyful clamours could be heard everywhere. There were streamers, balloons, puppet shows, face-painting stations, refreshments, and games.

"Whoa," Kenta marvelled. It was his first time too, being in such a place. Garron seemed bored as hell, though; he regarded everything as very normal and ordinary. I bet he's been to plenty of carnivals, festivals, dances, and parties in his lifetime. Kiseki, too. The only ones who were really entranced were Tsukune, Yukari, Kenta, Kurumu, and I. I didn't know where Mizore went.

"Hey, hey, look at that!" Kenta cried, running over to a stand. "They sell candy! And lanterns… Oh, look at that! Carnival food!"

Kenta and Kurumu disappeared together to go hunt down some sweets. They told us they'd be back and brings us some samples. Yukari hesitated, then decided to go with them.

Moka and Tsukune wandered off together, looking at the different souvenirs and gift shops. Mizore had already disappeared off somewhere a long time ago, and that left Garron, Kiseki, and me. The awkward three, back together once again.

"Kiseki, why don't you go get us something to drink?" Garron asked. "You know, a few samples of everything…"

Kiseki narrowed his eyes at him suspiciously, but then nodded and left. I don't know why he did it, but it was a lot less awkward without Kiseki there. Garron and I had fun together, playing many of the carnival games. He won most of them, and for the ones where we competed against each other, he let me win. I ended up with a dainty china doll, a masquerade mask, a pair of lace and silk gloves, a giant stuffed teddy bear, a few free tokens, and some carnival candy. Garron gave me most of his prizes.

Suddenly, my head started to hurt. It wasn't a light headache or some dizziness; I was talking about a full-on head-splitting headache that made it impossible to even think. Clutching my head, I sank to my knees on a patch of flowerbed, barely able to contain my groans.

"What's wrong?" Garron immediately asked, bending down. "Are you in pain?"

"My head," I choked out. "Hurts…"

"Hah… Here, get up." Garron hauled me to my feet and towards a park bench. "Rest here for a bit, ok? It'll get better soon. Just close your eyes and try to sleep."

"Why?" I whispered. "It won't get better if I sleep… I… I need some medicine. Some water, maybe…"

"No," Garron said so sharply that I fell against the bench, flinching. "Just lie down, please, and stay still. Close your eyes. Empty your mind. Rest…"

Not knowing what else to do, I followed his orders.

I didn't realize how fast time had passed. I wasn't exaggerating at all; it was still fairly light when we came out, but then suddenly it turned dark, as if a few hours had passed. I opened my eyes and sat up, surprisingly not groggy.

"Garron?" I said. My voice was hoarse. "Where are you?"

"I'm here." Garron came out from behind me, placing his hand on my shoulder. "Are you feeling ok now?"

"Yes, actually." I got up, not feeling dizzy at all. "Wow, your tips actually helped!"

Garron smiled knowingly. "Yes, I'm sure it did."

"What's the time?" I asked. "It's so dark out already…"

"Oh, two hours have passed."

"What?" I cried in disbelief. "What about the others? We have to tell them… they'd be worrying…"

"It's ok," Garron said in a soothing tone. "I told them that you were tired from all the activity and had a rest. See? Kurumu even left you a drink and a few sweets on the bench."

I smiled, went over, and finished up Kurumu's samples. They were so good I instantly craved more. It wasn't until I tasted something that I realized I was actually surprisingly hungry… and tired. I was awake, alert, but tired. Weird.

"Let's go find them now," I said, smiling. "There's not even an hour left before the ball!"

"Yeah, let's go."

Up ahead, I saw Kurumu milling about with Kenta and Yukari at her heels. Kurumu was eating caramel-covered popcorn, picking them out handfuls at a time without even looking and shoving it into her mouth. I envied how she never even seemed to gain a pound from anything she ate.

Yukari was intently staring at Kurumu, and Kenta at Yukari. Yukari's face changed when Kurumu raised her hand up to her mouth to deliver another handful of popcorn. Kenta, staring intently at Yukari, noticed this change, and looked over at Kurumu to see what was wrong.

Yukari stretched out her hand, her reflexes slow. "Wait – Kurumu, no!"

Kenta – reacting much faster – lunged and tackled her to the ground. Caramel coated popcorn sprayed everywhere as the entire bag flew out of Kurumu's arms. Bystanders stepped aside and murmured in frustration. Some looked on curiously, but many simply had disgusted looks on their faces. What could I say? They just didn't understand.

And neither did Kurumu, it seemed.

"Kenta – what are you-?" She seemed at a loss for words. "Let go of me! What do you think you're doing?!"

"Ok, I'll let you up, but promise not to move too fast? Drop whatever you're holding in your hand – far away from you – and get up slowly."

"What – okay, fine. _Fine_. That's just great." She got up slowly, releasing her hold on the last of her popcorn. "Thank you, thank you so very much, for embarrassing me in front of all these people."

Kenta shook his head, turning to Yukari. Yukari nodded, then walked over towards Kurumu and bent towards the ground, as if to pick up the dropped popcorn.

"Hey, don't you dare try to eat my popcorn!" Kurumu threatened jokingly, trying to lighten the situation. "You made me drop it, just so you could take some…?"

Instead of stealing the popcorn, Yukari straightened up with something shiny and narrow in her hand… and incredibly pointy.

"What the…"

"It's a needle." Yukari said simply. "A poisoned one, too, I might add."

Kurumu was silent. She began to shake uncontrollably. Whether from anger or from fear, I don't know, but she seemed shaken.

By this time, Tsukune, Moka, and the others had all gathered here. Bystanders gradually left, thinking it was just another festival commotion. They did not see the poisoned needle held carefully in Yukari's fingers, though. They didn't seem to notice anything amiss.

"Whoever did this isn't too smart," Yukari murmured, studying the needle. "They didn't fully dip the needle in the poison; they left a few millimetres at the end, so they can hold it, probably. That's where I'm holding it by, actually. It seems like whoever did this was in a hurry; the poison is not fully dried."

Kurumu swallowed nervously. "Is that a good thing?"

"Possibly, depending on what kind of poison it is." Yukari considered the possibilities. "If it's fresh, it might not be as potent; on the other hand, it might work better - the results might be more immediate - because it's newly coated."

The group was silent; things were getting scarier and scarier.

And the worst was yet to come.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong>

Hey guys! Thanks for reading this chapter :)

As you can imagine, the next chapter will be filled with... suspense? Action? Mystery? That's for you guys to decide. I know balls and dances and whatnot are supposed to be romantic and all proper and stuff (and I can do cheesy/romantic, believe me), but I feel that Rosario Vampire isn't that type of manga/anime. It always seems to have a twist at the end... and, well, here you go. A twist. With more to come, of course.

But yes, I wanted to highlight Yukari in this chapter. She's capable, independant, if a little stubborn and a bit of a know-it-all at times :P Luckily she's always there to save the day when least expected. No physical fighting for her! It's purely intellectual.

Please look forward to the next action-filled chapter! :)

- ACookieZ


	29. Chapter 29: Grotesque Puppet Show

**Angel vs. Demon**

Chapter 29 – Grotesque Puppet Show… and a Ball

"I wanna go home," Kenta whined, pulling at Moka's arm. "Please?"

Moka was torn. She wanted us safe, but we had hardly explored the rest of the attractions. Finally, she passed the burden on to Tsukune.

"Tsukune?" Moka asked, her eyes peeking up at him.

"Um…" Tsukune scratched his head, and I knew that it was going to be a long decision. Knowing him (as selfless, loyal, and nice as he is), he was going to do what _we_ wanted to do, and it was going to end up with everyone arguing again.

Kurumu, as always, was trying to be upbeat about the whole situation.

"Well, I'm fine!" she said, laughing lightly. "I actually want to see the rest of the fair, don't you? I mean… I just want to make up for the popcorn I lost. And I'm still alive enough to do it, so why not enjoy the rest of the carnival?"

"We planned so hard for the ball, too," Mizore added, looking down.

"And we might get killed while attending the ball, ever thought of that?" Kiseki inquired, an eyebrow raised.

"I say we risk it," Garron stated, looking positive about his decision. "I mean, from what I know, we have all been through far worse. Why let strange occurrences ruin our night tonight? We're here on vacation, after all."

When no one looked convinced, Garron continued. "What I'm saying is, these little threats are nothing to be afraid of. Whoever is doing this has got to be trying to send us some kind of message, and if we take their hint and leave, then it's the same as giving in. We'll just carry on like normal. Am I right?"

"I suppose," Tsukune said, looking slightly more hopeful. "We should just all have a good time, regardless of what might happen."

"But we're sticking together from now on, ok?" established Moka quickly before everyone could wander off. "It's safer that way… no one is going anywhere by themselves."

"Sounds good," we all agreed.

"So to do something together… why don't we watch the puppet show?" Garron suggested. "It's just up ahead, and there's not many people; we'll be able to see if anyone's targeting us. I say it's a pretty safe place to start."

After considering the possibilities, we decided to go. Garron was right; there weren't a lot of people there. I supposed it was safe. We had arrived just in time to see the ending of the puppet show, though… the audience was looking bored.

"… and so, they all lived happily ever after!" the narrator concluded, while the puppets bowed and bobbed their heads. The audience started clapping, and the curtains were just about to draw when one of the puppets' head fell off.

It was a girl's head, and although it was a inanimate doll, the scene still looked strangely grotesque as the head rolled off stage and dropped down onto the ground. The long, dark hair got tangled around the head, picking up dirt and grime, and yet the head still kept rolling. It rolled underneath chairs, under audience member's legs, and - finally - rolled towards me. There was a soft knock as it hit my foot.

Everyone in the audience was looking at me; even the puppets onstage, it seemed. I looked towards my friends for assistance, but they all just stared back at me, not giving me any hint or help whatsoever. Flustered, nervous, and not knowing what to do, I decided to pick up the head and bring it back to the puppet master. As I held the head in my hand, however, something fell from inside of it. Since the head was hollow on the inside, it was easy to store something small in there.

I almost panicked and dropped the damn head, but – thank goodness – it wasn't a weapon or anything dangerous. It was a folded up piece of paper, and I could just make out the writing scrawled inside.

Curious, I decided to unfold the piece of paper and read it. My back was turned on the crowd, so luckily they couldn't see me snooping around.

It seemed like the note was directed right at me. The words: _I saw what you did to your friend, you little backstabber. I have evidence, and I'm not afraid to reveal it. Consider this as payback for the time you embarrassed me in front of him. _were written across the note. Although I didn't know how anyone could put this note inside the doll's head and get it to me without anyone noticing, I felt that without a doubt this note was meant for me, and that whoever wrote this was serious.

Which led me to think… Which sassy, evil girl have I angered? And who is this "him"?

"Ame," Kenta hissed at me from the audience. "Hellooo, Ame!"

"What are you doing just standing there?" Kiseki, not bothering to whisper, asked this out loud from the crowd. "Aren't you going to give that back to the puppet master?"

Quickly pocketing the note, I took long strides up to the stage and cautiously handed the puppet head back. One of the crew members took it and thanked me, then proceeded to head backstage.

"Wait!" I said, pulling him back. "I have a quick question…"

"Yes?" the guy asked impatiently, turning to look at me.

"Was there a girl around my age backstage, by any chance? Was she anywhere near the equipment or anything?"

"A girl?" the guy asked, thinking hard. "Hmm, now that you mention it, there was a girl. She won the ticket for a backstage tour, so we let her look around."

"Do you remember her name?"

"Uh, I think it was N-something… Nona… Nana… Noni…?"

"Nina?"

"Oh, yes, it was Nina."

"Thank you," I said, giving him a quick smile before returning to my seat. There was no doubt about it, then. Although I had almost forgotten the incident, I was sure she was the girl who had tried to hit on Kiseki… and had been embarrassed in front of the whole class by his harsh rejection.

But this made me confused. Why was she trying to get back at me? How was that incident my fault? And, most importantly, what did I do to my friend that made me a backstabber…?

I shook my head sadly. I didn't think I would ever understand someone like her. But – just to make sure this situation doesn't get any worse – I had to meet up with her as soon as possible. Find her myself, if necessary. Although I was positive I did nothing bad to be afraid or ashamed about, I didn't want her spreading any false rumours about me, just in case.

"Well, that was interesting," Garron said after we'd watched the puppet show.

"Yeah, especially when the head rolled on to Ame's foot." The way Kenta said it made it sound so much more comical than it actually was.

"It's almost time for the ball," Moka reminded everyone. Tsukune nodded, and confirmed that we should all get going. It was going to be a town event, and all the other students that came with us from Yokai Academy were going to be there, so it was only natural for us to come.

I had another reason, though. Nina was in our grade, and I was hoping to find her among the crowd at the ball so I could talk to her. It was the perfect chance for a confrontation.

"Let's go!" Yukari cried, skipping ahead. "We'll need to change, too!"

It took forever to get ready, and the outfits were especially hard to get into. It took us quite a few tries to put it on right. Mizore kept sticking her head out the arm hole of her dress, much to our amusement.

When we finally arrived, I found out that we were actually kind of late. The ball was already packed, and the refreshments were already set out. After taking a look, I had to say that the room was probably one of the best venues in the entire town. It was big, big enough to hold hundreds of people, and there were elegant pillars and paintings everywhere. In the very centre of the room, on the ceiling, was this gigantic crystal chandelier that probably weighed a ton. The entire room was blinding and shining.

"I call first dance with Tsukune!" Kurumu announced, lacing her arm through Tsukune's. Embarrassed and blushing, Tsukune was led onto the dance floor.

"Hey!" Moka complained, chasing after her. Mizore, however, had found a suitable pillar and was standing behind it, gazing at everyone. I didn't mind that she was "spying" on us, but her beautiful gown was covered, much to my disappointment. Mizore looked so pretty, and yet she didn't flaunt her beauty. Yukari and Kenta (the younger ones) headed off to talk, dance, and sample the refreshments.

In the end, Tsukune, Garron, and Kiseki all got a turn dancing with all girls (that is, Kurumu, Moka, Yukari and I… and eventually Mizore, who had felt a little less shy and was brave enough to emerge from behind her pillar). Even little Kenta wanted a chance to dance with all of us. It was just a very fun night, in general. And, much to my approval, the food was delicious. Nothing was poisoned, dirty, or had anything deadly hidden inside it. We had examined each portion just to make sure.

One thing that still nagged at the back of my head was Nina. I still hadn't found her, and the ball was almost going to end.

Looking up from the refreshments table (which was where I was at, sipping at my drink and nibbling at the cupcakes), I saw a girl with long hair talking to Kiseki. Behind her, she was flocked with a group of girls… that all strangely dressed to look like her. Outfit, hair, makeup and everything.

"Ah," I said out loud, setting down my cup. "I found Nina."

Striding over to where they were at, I hoped and prayed that Nina was going to be reasonable and at least explain to me what the note was about. I wasn't going to yell at her or accuse her of anything (as she was undoubtedly going to do to me), but the least I could do was ask her about the note.

"Nina," I called, trying my best to give her a sincere smile as I joined her. "What a surprise to see you here."

Nina narrowed her eyes at me in distrust. She actually looked wary of me, as if I was a criminal or something. This was so weird.

"What's wrong?" I asked, frowning. I couldn't keep the tone of worry away; it crept into my voice and made it squeaky.

Seeing my discomfort, Kiseki tried to answer me. "It's nothing much. Nina over here just decided on a whim to drag me over here and speak to me. Warning me about you, and other nonsense like that."

"Kiseki!" Nina chided, shaking her finger at him. "Don't go spilling our private conversation to outsiders. You're know, you know. It's actually a lot more than that. But for now, you may leave… I need to speak with Ame alone."

For a second, Kiseki was stunned. It looked like this was the first time a girl had dared to order Kiseki around like this, and he simply couldn't compose the look on his face. He didn't look like he was going to leave, either. Only when I put my hand on his arm and asked him quietly to wait with the others did he clench his teeth and give a quick nod.

"But if you need anything," Kiseki said slowly, directing his words at me but looking at Nina, "I'll be right over there. Close enough to call for help."

I rolled my eyes and tried to give him a shove, but it didn't work out too well. I turned my eyes away from his retreating back as Nina cleared her throat delicately.

"So, it has come to my attention that you have gotten the note?"

Thank God she brought up the subject first.

"I did," I answered. "And I'm confused about it. You might have to clarify things for me."

"What more clarification do you need? Do you not know what you did with your own hands? Do you not know what a mess you created?"

I decided to let her do the talking. "Okay, I guess I don't know. What did I do?"

Nina snorted. "You act like you're all good and nice, but really you're just an evil little backstabber, aren't you? Fine, I'll spell it out for you, since you want to play dumb. First of all, you ruined my reputation."

I opened my mouth to deny that, but Nina held up her index finger.

"Ah, no-no-no, wait till I finish speaking. You embarrassed me in front of everyone and made me look stupid. And don't try to say it wasn't you, because Kiseki wouldn't have said anything if you weren't there. He wouldn't have compared me to you then, at all. And, not only did you ruin my reputation, you suddenly decided to reveal your true colors and attempt a murder on your friend, too."

I decided that I couldn't keep quiet anymore.

"What?" I cried, angry and frustrated. "Why are you accusing me of all this? I did not try to kill my friend! I don't even know what you're talking about!"

"Don't feign innocence! I have proof! You poisoned a needle and stuck it in that succubus's popcorn!"

There, she let the bomb drop. I stood there for five seconds, processing what she said. What had I done during the time that Kurumu was buying that popcorn? Why would I poison her? And how come I don't remember doing it, if that's the case? Nina said she had proof, but…

"I really don't remember doing it," I said slowly, pronouncing each syllable slowly, as if to convince myself. "I'm not sure how you're convinced that I'm behind all this, but I really don't know. If you could show me, then…"

Nina stuck her hand out towards one of her followers without looking at her. "Bag?" she requested.

Obediently, one of the Nina-lookalikes placed her handbag into her hand. It wasn't a very big bag; it was more like a pouch. Nina rummaged through it and held up a camera.

"When I saw you creeping around the popcorn stand, I thought you were doing something suspicious, so I recorded everything. I didn't know then that you were planning on killing someone, but, you know… that doesn't surprise me."

I rolled my eyes. "Ok, so let's see the video."

Just as Nina turned on her camera, the entire room flickered. Suddenly, a loud creaking noise was heard. It was followed by a loud crack. Everyone raised their heads to look at the ceiling…

The chandelier's hinges were breaking off, and it hung precariously by a few wires. The chandelier's light flickered as it swung back and forth. Crystals rained down on the crowd, and people began screaming.

There were shouts and commands to evacuate the room, and although everyone was too busy freaking out to listen to it, they instinctively sought out the exits and exited through the doors. The only ones who were left were Tsukune, Moka, Mizore, Kurumu, Kenta, Yukari, Garron, Kiseki, Nina, her minions, and I. We didn't evacuate the room, but we stood clear out of the way as the chandelier came crashing down onto the smooth marble floor.

The room got a whole lot dimmer, but there were still other lamps and lights to see by. Immediately after the crash, Yukari ran up to the broken chandelier and inspected it.

"Someone cut the base," she announced in a grim tone, straightening up. "The damage was done with a sharp edge; most likely a knife."

"Who would've done that?" Kurumu demanded, looking aghast. "Is there someone who tried to ruin the ball?"

"I know who did it!" Nina cried. Her voice echoed through the room. "It was Ame!" She pointed a perfectly manicured finger at me.

All eyes in the room turned towards me. Although there was almost nobody else left, I still felt a stab of fear. These were my closest friends… and if they believed Nina's lies, then what would become of me?

"Ame…"

"Ame would never do it!" Kenta cried defensively. "She'd never…"

"Yeah," Tsukune added in a sure tone. "She was with us the entire time; when could she have done that?"

"Well, I think she did it." Nina said stubbornly. "She was probably just jealous; she knows that she'll never be able to compete with me. Ame just wants to make everything look like it's not her fault, when it actually is."

"What proof do you have of that?" Kiseki demanded. "Stop blaming everyone. It's clear that none of us did this."

"I've got proof of everything!" Nina cried in defence. "She's jealous of Kurumu too, although I wouldn't know why. She put the needle in her popcorn! I saw it with my own two eyes."

"Nina!" I cried, horrified. Why would she just blab out everything – whether it was true or not – to my friends? Although they probably wouldn't believe her (they were my friends for a reason), it would still make a mess of things.

"See?" Nina said, gesturing towards me. "She's surprised I know. It's true, after all. She's trying to deny it."

This girl was pushing my buttons. She said she has proof, but she hadn't shown it yet. And I know it wasn't true, so what right did she have to accuse me of anything? And to spread the rumour around, too! As if things weren't already a mess!

"Ame completely ruined my night," Nina continued, looking sorry for herself. "I just came here to enjoy myself, but then she had to do all this!"

Nina was making me so mad. I wasn't talking "irritation" or "annoyance" kind of mad… I was talking a full-blown, seeing-red kind of anger. For the first time in a very long while, I wanted to hurt someone. I wanted to injure her physically, right on that perfect-looking, pale skin of hers, so she will stop complaining and learn when to shut up.

Oblivious to my feelings, Nina continued complaining. "Aren't you guys pissed? I mean, I'm not the only one who got excited for this carnival, right? What does it feel to have _your_ nights ruined?"

Nina paused, then rolled her eyes. "Oh wait, right… What was I thinking? I was completely wrong! You guys have no life! That's why something like this is exciting for you guys! All you know is to cause trouble in school and run around fighting bad guys… This is just so sad."

That was it. The floodgate opened (or in this case, the "firegate"), and I could feel my entire anger letting loose. It poured out from me not in waves, but in heaps, and it swirled around me and filled up the entire ballroom.

"Um, Ame…?" Moka tentatively stretched out an arm to get my attention, but Tsukune held her back.

"She's very… agitated right now," Tsukune said softly. I almost didn't hear him, my anger was so loud; it roared in my ears and consumed me. "You better leave her and let her chill for a while."

"I'll help with the chilling if she doesn't chill soon," Mizore offered, flexing her wrist. Ignoring her, I focused all my attention on Nina.

"You," I said slowly. "I don't care if you accuse me - make fun of me, whatever. But don't you ever make fun of my friends."

"Aw, so I hurt your little friends' feelings?" Nina asked, making cooing noises. "Well, you guys deserved this! Especially _you_, Kiseki, and Ame. You guys made a fool of me in front of everyone. And the rest of you – Kurumu, Moka, Cappuccino, whatever – you think you're all so popular. Well, Nina won't be left behind! She's gonna make her comeback, too. Just you wait."

Nina seemed not to sense my anger at all. I didn't get how she couldn't; it surrounded me like a flaming tornado. Bits and pieces of red floated around me. Fuelled by my fury, my demon wings slid out from my back so easily and suddenly that it felt like second nature. The iron horns emerged from my crown as I beat my wings and levitated a few feet off the ground, directly in front of Nina. I was sure my eyes were blazing red.

Seeing me for the first time, she backed up a couple of steps.

"Whoa, wait… who said you could transform right here?" Nina stuttered, as her arms rose automatically to defend herself. The rest of her so-called "friends" were backing up faster than she was, and some even turned on their heels and ran out the door.

"There's no one here, is there?" I argued back, my voice turning into a scary hiss. I knew she was terrified, and to be honest, even_ I_ was terrified of myself. But I couldn't control it. She made me this mad; I think I deserved to let out my anger a little. I was fairly confident in my ability/powers, and I knew I wasn't going to harm her in any way.

"S-stop," Nina commanded, pointing a quaking finger at me. "Don't you make me transform into my true form, too!"

Even in times like this, she still wanted to act all tough! Calling up her bluff, I conjured up a flaming trident. The fire felt at room-temperature when I held it against my skin. Nina gaped at me.

My friends, though, seemed to think I took it too far. Tsukune must have pulled the rosario off of Moka's chest, because the room suddenly filled with a bright red light; we could simply feel the power radiating off of Inner Moka when she appeared.

"Ame, stop this," Moka commanded, taking steps towards me. "I know you're trying to defend your friends, but you need to know how to control yourself. Had all my training gone to waste?"

I was in control of my powers, yes, but it was difficult when I was angry. Aside from that, I still hadn't mastered transforming at will; it always seemed to be fuelled by my emotions instead.

And right now, I was raging.

"She was accusing you guys!" I cried. "And she blamed me for trying to poison Kurumu!" My flames went up a few notches just at the thought of it. "She won't keep quiet about this at all!"

Seeing as words were no use against me right now, Moka took the initiative and used force instead. She bounded towards me in three quick strides and pushed herself off of the ground, her feet aiming towards me.

In reality, her training hadn't gone to waste at all. From pure instinct, I dodged her attack and reached out to grab her ankle. I was just about to attempt self-defense when I stopped in my actions, completely stunned.

What was I doing? This was my friend I was hurting. Hesitating, my fingers trembled against her ankle.

Moka used this pause to spin around and twist herself out of my grasp. She took me down and tackled me to the ground, landing softly on top of me. I almost couldn't feel her weight, but somehow I couldn't seem to be able to get up. Lying on my stomach, I struggled to rise.

"I'll let you up," Moka said, "but you have to calm yourself. Control your powers; don't let your _powers_ control _you_. Your actions are the result of your feelings, Ame, never forget that."

I gave up struggling and nodded. I took several deep breaths and blinked the redness out of my eyes. Embarrassed and slightly light-headed, I stood up.

"I'm sorry, guys," I apologized, looking down. "I wasn't helping at all, was I?"

"Well, you did help a little," Kurumu said, trying to cheer me up. "Nina over there sure won't be angering us anytime soon, will she?"

Turning my head to the side, I saw Nina huddled there against the pillar, looking at me with a terrified, wary expression. I sighed, feeling horrible. Now why did my demon self have to be so scary?

"Well, well, well... what do we have here?" a familiar voice drawled.

I knew this voice. It wasn't as scary and haunting as "the voice", but it came in close second in terms of making my skin crawl.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong>

Sorry for the cliff-hanger, and thank you guys for reading! I wanted to continue, but it got waaay too long x( I'll have to save the rest for the next chapter... You'll be able to find out who the voice belongs to then, if you haven't already :P

Till the next chapter!

- ACookieZ


	30. Chapter 30: Caught

**Angel vs. Demon**

Chapter 30 – Caught

"Ms. de Mone," Garron said aloud, acknowledging her. I spun around to see Lucy entering through the door.

"Please, please," Ms. Nekonome begged, close behind Lucy, "this was all just an accident. Don't blame my students…!" The cat-teacher's tail twitched in worry.

Lucy, on the other hand, looked calm, cool, and collected… She even had that familiar evil glint in her eye. I just knew something bad was going to happen.

Lucy walked slowly towards Nina, her heels clicking on the marble floor. She bent down – taking her sweet time – to get closer to Nina's face, then asked in a very gentle, soothing voice: "Nina, tell me… Who did this?"

Nina raised a shaking, quivering finger towards me.

"Her," she whispered. "She did it. She did everything."

I groaned internally, wanting to kick myself. I was so busy scaring her that I didn't anticipate on anyone's arrival. I had made the others so involved in this that they didn't notice this demon coming, either. And now I was going to get in trouble because of it.

Lucy's head turned, and she looked at me from the corners of her eyes. Her lips curled up into a knowing smile, and she patted Nina on the head.

"Good girl," she said. "You're a good girl for telling me the truth."

No one dared object to her statements. The entire room was quiet; even Kiseki didn't budge or utter a syllable. Ms. Nekonome simply wrung her hands about and twitched her ears and tail.

"Well then, it seems like we have a problem, don't we?" Lucy asked, slowly rotating around to look each one of us in the eyes. "On behalf of the Headmaster, I cannot let this go on. What a mess you have created!"

"It can all be fixed," Ms. Nekonome piped up, looking eager to make amends. "None of the humans suspect a thing! We can patch this all up…"

Lucy turned around to look sharply at her. "No, we need to get to the root of this problem. And you know what that is?" She pointed a crooked, pointy finger at me. "It's _her_."

I felt the fury in me rise all over again. But instead of getting too mad, all I felt was dull anger and a whole lot of miserable. There were lots of questions to ask, but almost no answer. Why me, first of all? Although I wouldn't hesitate to take the blame and to clear my friends' titles, this was ludicrous. It should be illegal how biased Ms. de Mone was towards me.

"I'll have to call this whole trip off," she said, shaking her head sadly. What's really sad is that this was all an act. "The campus buildings had been fixed just a few hours ago, and we were thinking of giving you students an extended period of time to enjoy yourselves here in the human world – say, the rest of the week? – but sadly I have to inform you that this vacation is cut short. And it's all because of your peer over here."

"Now, now, Ms. de Mone," Ms. Nekonome said, her ears flicking. She frowned in worry. "Don't blame it all on one student! We don't even know who did all this yet… Don't you think they should figure it out before they go? I think it'll make a great story for the Newspapers Club…"

"Ha!" Ms. de Mone threw back her head and laughed. She pulled out Nina's camera (I don't know when she got a hold of that without any of us noticing, but it was hers alright), and she turned it on. With one finger, she motioned for me to stand next to her. Fearful and wary, I did so.

"Now, I'm not going to show this to any of your friends because I know it'd make them worry, and I know you'd hate me for it," Lucy whispered, ducking her head. "Not that I care. But I just wanted to let you see first. And then, you know…"

"Then maybe you can use it against me?" I guessed in a wry voice.

"You know, Ame, you can be so smart sometimes." Ms. de Mone smiled, showing all her teeth. She fiddled with the camera some more, then put her pointy finger over the play button.

"Ready?" she asked, looking at me without turning her head.

I didn't even bother looking at her. "No," I whispered.

"Good." Ms. de Mone pressed the button, and the film began to play. I watched in growing horror as the movie progressed. Nina, although not very good at video-taping (as was evident in this shaky film), had caught every little detail of the incident. She knew when to zoom up on my face to prove it was me, and when to zoom out to catch me in my acts.

And yes, although I was very shocked to find out, I could see my figure walking past all the crowds towards the popcorn stand.

I gasped, stunned and befuddled, and could find nothing to say. What _should_ I have said? "I didn't know about this"? "That wasn't me"? or, "I think you've got the wrong person… there's plenty of people wearing the same clothes as me, that have my same haircut"?

There was no denying it. Although I didn't remember even one second of it, I was positive that was me. I watched myself as I took a container out of my pocket. I had unscrewed the lid, and then I dipped something shiny and pointy into it.

_Oh no._ I wanted to look away. _Please don't show me any more…_

"Watch!" Lucy hissed in a commanding tone. I was forced to continue to look at myself… but by then, I thought I had understood why I committed the crime.

I didn't do it myself, purposely. From all the zoomed-up shots of my face that Nina had captured, I had a blank, empty look on my face, and my eyes were emotionless and glassy. I even moved in a jerky, slow, forced manner… and it didn't take a genius to realize that someone had done something to me that forced me to poison – and possibly kill – Kurumu.

It made sense, now. I didn't remember anything from it, and seeing myself behave this way on camera… Instead of being terrified, I felt furious. Somehow, someone had forced me to murder my own friend!

"You're right," Lucy whispered gleefully. I forgot for a second that she could read my thoughts. "But even if you don't remember doing it, Ame, or you denied doing it, we still have proof. What if we showed this to the Headmaster? Or to your friends or family…? What would they do then? Even if this wouldn't get you expelled, you would at least be suspended. And then you'd have to take extra disciplinary classes with _me_ as your teacher."

"No," I whispered. "You wouldn't…"

"Oh, believe me, yes I would."

"But I don't remember anything from it." I argued. "I might have done it, but it is quite obvious that I was forced to do so. And I've got an alibi, too! Garron was there with me when this happened. He would tell you that I didn't go anywhere…"

"So you're denying that you did this?" Lucy inquired.

I didn't know what to say. That was me, quite obviously, on the camera. But Garron didn't say anything about me sleep-walking towards the popcorn stand to poison Kurumu. And I didn't remember any of it. Who knew? It could be one of Mizore's ice dolls, or an evil twin, or some kind of magical look-alike… Someone could have framed me, and made it look like I did everything.

"What do you want from me?" I finally asked in a barely audible voice. I felt like crumpling into a heap on the floor. "What do you want me to do?"

"Well, first off, I'd have to take you back to the Headmaster's. But he's already given me full permission to do as I see fit, so there won't be much to say there. We'll just give him the film and let him know. Then, you'll be going with me to someplace special. I'd have to discipline you, you know. We can't have a student like you giving Yokai Academy a bad name…!"

A tear rolled down my cheek, and I angrily wiped it away. I wasn't going to show any form of weakness in front of this woman.

"I'll go with you," I said in a hoarse voice, "but let me pack my stuff first. I have to say goodbye to my friends, as well…"

"Yeah, yeah, you go do your last-minute preparations. I'll be waiting in front of your hotel." Ms. de Mone turned on her heel and walked out of the room. Just before she disappeared out the door, she spun around to face Ms. Nekonome.

"Oh, and by the way," she said, smiling at her. She gestured towards the chandelier. "I remember you saying that this can all be fixed? Well, I trust you to do just that."

Ms. Nekonome whimpered in frustration as Lucy left the room. Now, the only ones that were left were me, my friends, Ms. Nekonome, and Nina, who was still cowering on the floor.

Immediately, Tsukune and the others came up to me to comfort me.

"Are you okay?" Kenta asked, his puppy-dog ears flopping down low on his head. "Did that evil lady do anything to you?"

"No," I replied, giving him a smile. I patted his head and rubbed his silver ears. "She just wanted me to go with her back to the academy, that's all. I got in trouble."

"Oh…"

"But that was so unfair!" Kurumu cried. "How could she just blame you for everything? You didn't even…" She sighed dramatically, shaking her head.

"It's ok, we're coming with you," Moka said. "I heard her say that we're all leaving early? Well, we'll go with you back to the academy and to the Headmaster."

"Yeah!" Yukari agreed. "We'll explain everything, and tell him the truth."

"Then you'd be innocent again." Mizore concluded.

"We'll show him," Kiseki added.

Just the thought of them being there to see the video made me shiver. I didn't say anything, though. It was comforting knowing that they were coming back with me to the Headmaster's. I just had to figure out a way for them to not be there while he was seeing the video. Ugh, everything was so confusing and complicated.

I turned towards Garron. There was one question I had to ask before I left, and I wasn't sure what his answer was going to be. Nonetheless, I composed my face and made sure no emotion escaped or was revealed when I uttered these words: "Garron, was I sleeping for the entire time on the benches before?"

"What do you mean?" he asked slowly.

"I said my head hurt, right?" He nodded. "You told me to rest. I fell asleep on the bench. Was I unconscious the whole time? I didn't move, talk, or do anything in my sleep?"

Garron considered my question carefully. "You were asleep, Ame. You didn't do anything. I was there with you the whole time, and you were unconscious."

I nodded, keeping my poker face on. "Thank you, Garron."

Without another word, I exited the room and headed towards the hotel… to pack up my things for detention with Ms. de Mone.

* * *

><p>"Ready?" Lucy asked. She stood outside of the hotel doors, arms folded across her skinny chest.<p>

I didn't reply; I was too depressed to. My friends behind me were trying in vain to cheer me up though, and that was comforting. We boarded the bus, and the bus driver gave me an understanding grimace as I walked past him.

The bus ride seemed extra long on the way back. We drove past mountains and hills, and then eventually entered the rainbow-colored tunnel. I felt the usual shiver as we emerged out of it, and into the monster world.

Lucy gave us half an hour to unpack and get settled down before she took me away to the Headmaster's office. While the girls and I unpacked in the girls dorm, Moka and the others made plans on how to back me up. They wanted to hide outside the Headmaster's doors and listen in to our conversations and stuff, and Mizore even suggested crouching down behind plant pots to hide. It was all so silly and hilarious… They always knew how to cheer me up.

"Oh well, it's almost time," Yukari reminded everyone. I groaned, dreading this moment. I hauled myself off of the bed and half-walked and half-stomped out the room.

"It'll be okay!" Kurumu assured, winking at me. "We'll be right outside if you need backup."

I smiled. "Thanks, you guys… You're all too nice to me."

"That's what friends are for!" Moka said, smiling.

With newfound confidence, I marched out the dorm and towards the administrator's building, which was where the Headmaster was located. We'll be meeting the guys there. The plan was for me to go in first, and when Lucy follows me into the room, the rest of them will sneak in and find places to hide outside of the doors.

"You're late," Lucy snapped as soon as she saw me. I was only late by like one minute, but she didn't care. She hauled me into the building and up the stairs towards the Headmaster's office. I forced myself not to glance behind me to see if my friends were following me… that would give them away.

I was terrified, though. I didn't want to go in. The Headmaster himself was enough to creep me out, but what else was he going to say to me? I hated the fact that he had already given Lucy permission to do as she pleased … that would mean the death of me.

"Well, what are you waiting for?" Lucy demanded. "Get in!"

With a painful shove to the back, I stumbled into the office. Lucy followed behind and quietly shut the door. I clearly heard her lock it, too, leaving me no chances of escape.

"Ame," the Headmaster greeted me, smiling. His hands were folded, and his eyes glittered underneath his hood. I shivered as I looked at them. I felt like he was seeing straight through me… as though he knew every little bit about myself. Maybe even more than I did.

"What brings you here?" he asked calmly, crossing his legs.

Lucy answered for me instead. "I think you know perfectly whey she's here," she said in a surprisingly respectful tone. "I finally found proof of her acts, and how she disobeyed the school rules. Not only did she attempt murder on one of her classmates, she even changed form right there in the human world."

"I asked her; not you." Although those were simple, short words, it still felt chilling and commanding coming out of the Headmaster's mouth. It was hard not to obey. Respectfully, Lucy bowed her head. The Headmaster, satisfied, turned his head towards me.

"Um, I did kind of caused trouble in the human world, I guess," I began, nervous and stuttering. I was sure this was not a good start, but it wasn't like I planned a speech ahead of time or anything. I thought I did pretty well, considering the fact that I didn't pass out from fear yet.

"My friends and I did not mean to do anything on purpose, though," I continued, trying to explain so that it would make the situation be seen in a better light. "I wasn't feeling too well, so I kind of took a nap in the park during the carnival. Garron was there with me, if you want to ask him. But, after I woke up, it seemed that someone had tried to kill Kurumnu. This girl – Nina – came and claimed it was me, even though I didn't remember any of it. I was asleep during all of this. Nina said she had proof, however. She video-taped me. It seemed that I was sleep-walking towards the popcorn stand, which was where Kurumu was at, and I put the poisoned needle into her popcorn."

"So you did do it?" the Headmaster asked.

"No, I mean, yes – Ugh, I don't really know," I confessed. "I'm just so confused about everything. I don't remember a single thing after I passed out. I slept for a few hours. And then I wake up to find myself poisoning my friend."

"Are you sure you don't sleepwalk?"

"No, I've never done so in my life!" Or at least, not that I know of. "And Garron said I was with him the entire time. I couldn't have possibly attempted murder on Kurumu, then dropped the chandelier on all the guests at the ball."

"No, that is all quite possible, actually." The Headmaster thought for a moment. "You said you slept for a few hours, right? During the first hour, you could have put the poisoned needle in the popcorn that your friend was eating. You would have done it before she was eating it, obviously, or else she would have noticed you. So you could've put a needle in each of the popcorn bags, just to make sure the one she was eating out of contained one, or you could've waited to see which one of the popcorn bags she was going to get, and then just slipped the needle into that one specifically."

I was silent. He was starting to sound like a detective, and I didn't like it. Yes, maybe all that could have happened, but surely I would know? Or someone could have reported me?

"Then, afterwards," he continued, "you could have taken the rest of the time to slip away and enter the ball early. Using your powers, you would have flown up to the ceiling and cut the wires. Not completely, of course, but just enough so it would still hold until the guests arrive. Who else had the power to fly? Aside from you and Kurumu, there is no one else."

"Yes," Lucy agreed enthusiastically. "That was exactly what she did."

"But, the question is…" The Headmaster leaned forward and folded his hands together. "What is your objective? You must have a motive behind all this."

"That's the thing!" I exclaimed exasperatedly. "I don't _have_ an objective. I don't know why I did what I did, if I even did it. I think someone made me, somehow. I sure had no reason to."

"Oh, this is interesting. So you think you were being used?" the Headmaster inquired. "Possibly… possessed?"

I stiffened. What does that mean, possessed? No ghost had entered me, I don't think. I wasn't twisting and turning on the floor yet.

"Not that kind of possessed, you idiot," Lucy hissed at me. "He means that someone controlled you – forcibly – to do what they want. Like a puppet."

"I don't know," I answered. "Maybe. I think so…"

The Headmaster sighed. "Well, whatever the reason behind this… you still committed the crime, young lady. You will need to face the consequences."

"Wait, what…?"

"Yes, Headmaster," Lucy cut in. "We already discussed that ahead of time. I would get the honor of enforcing the school rules upon Ame Kanmuri, right?"

"Yes," the Headmaster agreed slowly. "You are her homeroom teacher, so you would have to talk to her. But, since no one was hurt directly, I don't think there is any reason to suspend her."

Lucy looked disappointed, but nodded agreeably. "Of course not. Don't worry, sir, I will make sure of everything."

"Alright," the Headmaster said, rising. "I guess that concludes our talk."

"Wait!" I cried, "I'm still confused. I don't understand what's going on, what I did, or what it all means. I…"

The Headmaster gave me a knowing look. "I know you are still puzzled about this. And I don't necessarily have all the answers. But all the evidence points to you…"

I opened my mouth to reply, but the Headmaster held up a hand.

"All I can say is, I think you will learn something from this experience," he said. "What's more, I think you will learn something _afterwards_, as well. Everything will be uncovered as long as you face the consequences and take responsibility. Then, perhaps everything will clear up for you."

That was a very cryptic description and explanation, but I nodded glumly and took what I got. What he basically said was that I might uncover something by facing the consequences and letting Lucy harass me. And although that might be highly unlikely, I wasn't going to disobey.

"Ok, so may I take her away now?" Lucy inquired towards the Headmaster. "I think we should start the disciplinary classes as soon as possible."

"Certainly," the Headmaster agreed. "You may take her and leave."

Lucy grabbed me by the arm and steered me towards the centre of the room. She didn't let me go; instead, she began chanting. I couldn't make out the words, but her long string of sentences sure had an effect. The ground began to tremble, and suddenly a crack appeared on the floor. My eyes widened, and I felt terrified.

"What's going on?" I shouted over the noise and the chanting. "Where are you taking me?"

"Why, to the Yokai Dungeons, of course," the Headmaster answered, smiling. "That's where Ms. de Mone's office and headquarters are located."

All of a sudden, the double doors of the room burst open. Tsukune and the others stood behind it, and it was Kiseki who busted the door open. It seemed like they couldn't stand just eavesdropping outside of the doors now… they were worried about all the noise and the ground-shaking.

"Ame!" Moka cried, looking at me in alarm. Kenta reached towards me, and Kiseki was about to charge. I didn't see Garron, though; he was probably somewhere in the back. Seeing all this, the Headmaster suddenly snapped his fingers. A barrier appeared in front of my friends, and no matter how hard they pushed and punched, they couldn't get past it.

Meanwhile, Lucy was finished chanting. The ground was cracked open, and there was a big split in the middle of the floor. She gripped me even tighter and prepared to pull me down into the hole with her.

The last thing I saw before I fell into the deep, dark chasm was Kiseki's face, eyes blazing in anger. His expression seemed to reassure me, somehow; I knew they would probably try to find me afterwards. The look on his face promised that he - and the rest of my friends - would rescue me.

The only problem was, would I still be there - alive - when they found me?

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong>

Damn! Another cliff-hanger! xP

Sorry for so much tease, you guys, but this chapter ended up being extra-long too. I couldn't afford to type any more, so the rest would be saved for the next chapter. Let's just say, in the next few chapters, startling facts and fascinating information would be revealed ;)

The problem is, since Ame is trapped, I might have to write in another perspective… and it would be troublesome, because I've kept up the same POV for so long. I'd like it to be consistent, but you can't always get what you want, right?

So yup, be prepared to see some changes in the next few chapters. Favorite and Review and all that good stuff! :) Thanks for bearing with me.

- ACookieZ


	31. Chapter 31: Entering the Dungeons

**Angel vs. Demon**

Chapter 31 – Entering the Dungeons

Kiseki spun around to face the Headmaster.

"How dare you?" he cried. The look on his face suggested that he was going to rip the Headmaster's cloaked head off, and it took both Moka and Tsukune to hold him back and prevent him from doing so. "Why are you allowing this? Who do you think you are, anyway, taking my – _our_ friend away to go to some accursed 'disciplinary class' with some damned teacher?"

The Headmaster didn't bat an eyelash, if he even had any. Who knew, with his hood covering half of his face? Anyway, he did not even twitch. The look on his face remained calm and apathetic.

"This is for her own good," he said. This was a line that most adults seemed to overuse. "She needs to correct her mistakes, and what better way to do so than to send her off with an old acquaintance of hers?"

"She _made_ no mistakes!" Kiseki roared. Then, upon hearing the end of the Headmaster's sentence, he stopped short.

"Wait, what?" Kiseki said with a confused look on his face. "An old acquaintance? Does she know this demon lady from somewhere?"

"Oh, I don't know." The Headmaster smiled innocently and looked away from him. "But it was obvious that they knew each other from long before… and that both of them was trying to hide it."

"So it's ok then," Kurumu breathed. "She won't harm her; they know each other."

"Oh no," the Headmaster chuckled, shaking his head slowly. "They know each other, yes, but… well, they have conflicting auras and both harbor a deep hatred for the other."

Kiseki's face had gone pale. "This… this is worse than I thought."

"Uh-oh." Yukari echoed, frowning deeply.

"Why are you telling us this?" Tsukune asked, his eyebrows raised. "It's helpful, and I thank you for that, but you seem to know more than you let on."

The Headmaster gave an ambiguous smile. "Why, that may be true… but I just want to help my students out, you know? Sort of point you in the right direction once in a while. I did so too with Ame, as well…"

"You mean her being taken hostage was a right decision?" Moka asked in disbelief.

"If you put it that way, then yes. When you find her, she'll become a whole new person… enlightened, strong, and perhaps a little bit corrupted."

"Thank you for the tips," Kenta said uneasily.

The Headmaster nodded his head. "You're very welcome. Now, hurry along and find your friend. I'm sure time passes differently down there in the deep dark dungeons…"

Kiseki decided not to take the old man's head off for now, and the group of friends retreated. Before they left the room, however, the Headmaster spoke again.

"I notice that your other friend is gone. Where could he be at a time like this?"

"Oh, you mean Garron?" Yukari asked, looking around. "He wasn't here to begin with. He said he had somewhere to be."

"I see…" The Headmaster nodded his head, and Tsukune swore he saw a smile on the man's face as he dipped it. He decided to think nothing of it, though… the old man was probably up to one of his devious plans again.

The group of friends headed outside to the fields, where they chatted urgently and tried to form a plan.

"I say we break down there into the dungeons immediately and get her out," Kiseki declared, a dark look on his face. "Knowing Ame, being down there by herself will probably be more dangerous for her than when a person is with her."

Moka rolled her eyes. "We don't even know where the dungeons are, Kiseki."

"I know," Yukari piped up, a hand raised. "I have a blueprint of the entire school. It's upstairs in our office/meeting room."

"I borrow it from her sometimes," Mizore added, smiling in satisfaction.

Kenta frowned. "Why do you need a blueprint of the school?"

Mizore cleared her throat. "Ahem… for stalking purposes."

The group smiled, rolled their eyes, shook their heads, and then went back to the serious topic at hand.

"Ok," Moka began, "We know we definitely need to get into the dungeons. Yukari's blueprint will come in handy. But first, we need a plan. I bet there's going to be lots of defenses and various traps down there to keep people away. And knowing Ms. De Mone, they're going to be deadly."

"What shall we do to avoid them?" Kenta asked. "I don't want to die…"

"Kurumu will do the flying," Tsukune decided, the leader in him cropping up to the surface, "since she's the only one who can do surveillance for us. I suggest we let Inner Moka out for this mission… She and Kiseki can deal with the enemies and predict who would cause a threat to us down there. Yukari needs to have her magic ready, and maybe prepare a few backup protection spells for the safety of the group? Mizore, you do what you're good at; just sneak around and spy on our pursuers. Kenta? Use your excellent doggy senses to sniff out our predators. Okay, let's do this, everyone! Let's save our friend…!"

Everyone called out shouts of encouragement and determination, and the group proceeded to seek out the blueprint and head down to the dungeons.

* * *

><p>"Where are we?" I demanded, after being pushed down the black hole.<p>

"Dearest Ame, you never listen, do you?" Although I couldn't see Lucy's face, her voice hinted that she probably had a look of disdain on her face. "Not in class, not outside of class…"

I sighed and waited for her to get on with it and answer my question. Of course, I had been too upset to remember where we were headed… And even if I did remember it, it only seemed natural to demand an explanation afterwards.

"We're heading towards the dungeons, sweetie," Lucy answered. She snapped her fingers, and suddenly a flame ignited over them. It was like candlelight, and it shone around us. We were in some kind of tunnel; the walls were made out of dirt, mud, and sand, and there were plant roots and broken bricks poking out of the ground. The tunnel was not too narrow; it fit the two of us just perfectly.

Which, unfortunately for me, meant that I had to walk beside Lucy. It didn't work if you tried to evade it; believe me, I tried. I attempted to trail behind her, so I could – maybe, perhaps – have the chance to run away, but she clicked her tongue and dragged me beside her again. After that, I tried to hurry in front of her, so that I wouldn't have to look at her nasty, bony figure any more, but she hissed and dragged me back again.

I had no chance of escape.

I contemplated fighting her, but we were in a tunnel with a low ceiling and hardly any room to maneuver around in. What good would it do if I didn't have any room to spread my wings? Besides, Lucy was a demon (literally, not just figuratively, unfortunately…) and she didn't need to transform to fight me. She could defeat me in a second.

But she didn't yet… which meant that she had someplace to bring me, or something to do to me. I wanted to find out what that something was (my curiosity got the better of me yet again), and didn't wish to die just yet, so I was on my best behavior. As good as a prisoner can behave, anyway.

"We're heading to my…" Lucy paused in her explanation, and I saw her smile grimly, "… my 'lair', I guess you would call it."

She saw my anxious, nervous expression, and she threw back her head and laughed. Then she said: "I'm not that evil, you know. There're no skulls piled up in the corner of my room, and I don't have chains and whips displayed – well… on second thought… hmm. Where _did_ that handcuff and chainsaw go again? And I swear I thought I lost my old whip…"

She wasn't trying to scare me at all. Lucy was actually _pondering_ about her lost items! This was terrifying beyond belief.

Without knowing of the growing fear in my stomach, she continued.

"I'm going to take you to meet a very special person," Lucy explained, a look of adoration on her face. "He is my master, and he will decide what to do with you. I'll be the one punishing you, of course, but he'll decide on the punishment. That is, if you decide to choose unwisely… You might end up dead."

"Choose unwisely?" I asked, gulping.

"Oh yes," she said. "Lots of choices to make. And lots of explanations to hear, as well. You'll have to know what you're getting into before you start, right?"

I had no idea what she was going on about. She was starting to make it sound like I was joining some gang, or some cult or something. This was scaring the daylights out of me, and I had nothing I could do about it. I could not run or fight, with the risk of getting killed. The only choice I had was to following her down the tunnel, and try to prolong the situation for as long as possible. The longer I stalled meant the longer I'd live.

"Oh, look here," Lucy said, pointing up ahead. "We're almost there."

A few meters in front of us there was a dark, steel gate-like door. It was not shiny or metallic as new metal should have been… this steel was dark, ominous, and in some parts, very rusted. There were chains draped around the top like streamers, and there were numerous locks and bolts securing the two double-doors together. Beside it were pillars. But not normal pillars, oh no… these ones had spikes covering every inch of it.

It was terrifying… It seemed like I had entered hell itself.

* * *

><p>"So are we sure of where to go yet?" Kiseki asked, sighing.<p>

It had taken longer than he thought to pick up the blueprint and pack up the necessary equipment. Yukari – smart, although sometimes overdoing things a bit – suggested that they bring a lantern, a couple of flashlights, a few easy, light, carry-on weapons, and a recording device. Why she needed those, he did not know, but he didn't care as long as they got to Ame safely and quickly.

They were at a fork in the tunnels where they had to make choices. There were 3 different tunnels that sectioned off from where they exited the larger tunnel (which they entered from the world above). They couldn't decide which one to take… the left one, the middle one, or the right one?

Outer Moka turned the map this way and that, trying to decide which way was which. "There's lots of tunnels underground… and we don't have Ms. De Mone's power, which means we can't just teleport to the right tunnel. We're gonna have to do this the hard way."

"I feel like an ant," Kenta suddenly remarked. "There's so many tunnels…"

Kurumu smiled, but turned the conversation serious. "That's OK, we're just have to trust our instincts. There has to be some source of power in Ms. De Mone's dungeon room… and it will no doubt send off a signal. We can just catch that and follow it, right?"

"It's not that easy," Yukari said, frowning. "There's tons of traps and stuff down here, and who knows, there might be false signals."

"That's true…" Moka bit her bottom lip, a worried expression on her face.

"Let's look at this rationally," Tsukune suggested. "Ms. De Mone would probably want her office as deep, hidden, and hard-to-find as possible. After all, she has her own powers; she can simply 'teleport' to her room. We don't have this liberty, so we must assume the worst. We'll have to find the route that leads to the lowest level in this dungeon basement."

"There are 9 levels," Mizore said helpfully, pointing at the blueprint.

"Then we'll have to go down level by level until we reach that ninth one," Tsukune said confidently, nodding. After much discussion, he highlighted the route that seemed about right.

The group of friends turned towards the left tunnel and entered it bravely.

Immediately, as soon as their foot crossed into that section of tunnel, a flurry of squeaking could be heard from within. From previous experience (with the gigantic monster bat), everyone knew what to expect.

However, instead of attacking them, the colony of bats flew overhead and away from them. From one of them – no one knew which one – an envelope was dropped. It fluttered down and landed on Kiseki's head.

Grunting in annoyance, he snatched the envelope off of his head and ripped it open. His eyes scanned over the page, and he grinded his teeth. Kiseki was just about to crumple up the sheet of paper when Kurumu grabbed it from him. She read it out loud.

"Congratulations. You have chosen the right path to enter. Should you have gone in to any of the other tunnels, you would have instantly been killed." Kurumu paused, gulping, then continued in a shaking voice. "However, the choices are not yet over. You will have to make many decisions further on. This is not a congratulatory note; this is a warning. Do not continue on and turn back immediately. If you do so, you might still have a chance to live. Going any further will result in your death."

"Well," Kiseki commented sarcastically, "that sure was encouraging."

"But it didn't give us a single hint about what's to come, what we should look out for, or where to go!" Yukari growled, and then heaved a big sigh. "This is so frustrating."

"Oh well," shrugged Tsukune. "I guess we'll just have to follow our old plan. I don't think we've passed the first level yet… this is probably just a warning to make us stray, like it said. I'm not sure how much farther we'll have to go to complete the first ring, but we'd best be cautious."

"Tsukune's right," Moka agreed. "Things will only get worse later on."

The group did some mental preparations, gathered up their courage, and ventured further into the dark tunnels.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong>

Hello!

It turns out the POVs and stuff didn't end up as confusing as I thought xP Sorry for getting you all worried for nothing… heheh.

And I must apologize; this chapter is kinda shorter than usual. But bear with me! I'm be brainstorming for the next few (longer) chapters, and I'll make it up to y'all.

Ok, thanks for reading! The next few chapters will be (hopefully) more exciting…! x)

- ACookieZ


	32. Chapter 32: The First Level

**Angel vs. Demon**

Chapter 32 – The First Level

"This is kinda creepy," Kurumu commented. She and her friends have been traveling through the tunnel for quite a long time now, and nothing had popped up at them. There were no monsters, no ghouls or ghosts, and definitely no traces of anyone being down here in a long, long time. That is, of course, until Tsukune stubbed his right toe on something poking out of the ground.

"Ow!" he cried out loud, grabbing his foot. He backed up a couple of paces to examine the object that his toe had been caught on. It was extremely dark down there in the tunnels, and Tsukune had thanked Yukari multiple times in his head for remembering to bring a flashlight. Taking one out, he turned it on and shone it on the object.

"What… what _is_ that?" Kenta asked, his head cocking to the side. Cautiously, he sniffed towards the thing. He scrunched up his entire face, and had a look of indecision.

"What's wrong?" Moka asked, leaning towards him.

"I don't know what it is, but I get the feeling that it's supposed to smell bad." Kenta paused, then continued. "But that's the confusing part. It doesn't smell bad."

"So that must be a good thing?" Mizore asked, frowning.

"No, no…" Again, Kenta looked confused. "It smells like it _used_ to smell bad."

"What… how can you tell?" Kurumu cried, exasperated. She sometimes wished her nose was as good as Kenta's. Then, she'd probably be able to explain the situation better.

"The scent is gone, but the residue still lingers in the air. This thing – whatever it is – seemed to have rot down here."

"Ew…" said Yukari. She took Tsukune's flashlight, then went all up-close and personal with the thing sticking out of the ground. Suddenly, she gasped. "Guys… you won't believe this."

"What?" Kurumu demanded in a high-pitched voice, grasping Tsukune's arm for support. Tsukune, still balanced on one foot, almost toppled over.

"This… this is a bone."

Kenta perked up immediately. "Bone?"

"No, silly," Moka said, ruffling his head. "Not for you. It seems like… Yukari?"

"No, it's definitely not a meat bone or steak or whatever." Yukari gulped, and then blew some dust off of it. "This is a human bone."

"What?" Tsukune cried, the pain in his foot forgotten. "How did a human's bone get down here?"

"Well, to be honest…" Yukari straightened up, and handed Tsukune his flashlight back. "You do remember what the school used to do to humans if they were discovered here at Yokai, don't you?"

Tsukune looked shocked. "No, that can't be…"

"Oh, don't be so worried," Kurumu interrupted, shaking her head. "The Headmaster did not send humans to their deaths down here or leave them here to rot. Of course he wouldn't do that; the whole point of the school is to teach monsters to cooperate with humans. It would defeat the whole purpose if he started murdering his own students."

"Then what happened?"

"There must be other people who discovered the humans here," Kurumu explained. "Namely monster students, or delinquents and such. They must have discovered the stray humans who wondered out of their dimension, or ones trying to hide their identities in our school. Whatever it is, these bad monsters must have wanted to cover their evidence…"

"What evidence?" Kenta demanded, his ears pointing up in question.

Kurumu looked uncomfortable. "Uh, the evidence… the evidence that they've eaten the humans."

"Oh…"

"Yeah. They either lured the victims here to eat them, or they finished them off and tossed their remains – bones, whatever – down here."

Tsukune looked like he was going to be sick. "How do you know all this?"

"I've been at this school for a long time," Kurumu replied, sighing. "I hear things, you know. Plus I've got a good memory." She shuddered.

"Oookay, so now that we know what this thing is doing down here…" Yukari pondered on what to do. "Let's just take this as a warning. Kind of like a caution sign. We can't really do anything about this…"

"You sure are right about that. The best we can do is try not to get eaten."

"Someone say 'eat'?"

The entire group froze. The reason that they froze was that, well, they didn't know who said those words. A voice – deep, gruff, but with a very childish tone – simply came out of nowhere from inside the tunnels.

"Who said that?" Kurumu asked slowly, turning to survey around her.

"Me!" the voice answered. It seemed to be coming from in front of them. "Me hungry… me want some food…!"

A gigantic, bulky figure emerged in front of them. The group of friends gasped, all taking steps back away from the creature. It was he who made that demand. And he was going to get his way, too. He slowly advanced towards the group.

"W-We don't have any food," Kenta said, putting his hands up in front of him. "I swear… there's nothing to eat."

"No?" The creature stopped, still covered in darkness. Although they were all in the tunnels, it was large enough to fit this giant. The creature had no problem standing straight or scratching his head. "No food…? Then…"

"Then you leave us alone?" Moka suggested hopefully.

"No…" The creature paused, and then threw his hands over his head. "Then I eat YOU!"

"Is this the part where we're supposed to scream and run away?" Mizore asked. "It seems like one of those classic horror movies where the monster eats the people."

"Nope," Kiseki replied, cracking his knuckles. "We don't run away… but there _will_ be lots of screaming." He paused for dramatic effect. "Coming from the big guy over there, of course."

Moka smiled. Although she had not spent too much time with her half-brother over the past few years, she still admired him. Even Inner Moka – locked away in the Rosario – seemed to be proud of Kiseki.

The "big guy over there", as Kiseki called him, emerged into view. There was gasping as the group saw that the monster was in fact a Cyclops; he only had one big eye in the middle of his forehead.

"I eat you before you make me scream!" the Cyclops cried, thumping his chest. "You do the screaming. I do the eating!"

"All right, big guy, we'll see about that."

The giant roared in anger, and charged towards the group. The friends scattered; Kurumu, Yukari, and Mizore dove towards the right, as Kenta, Moka, and Tsukune dove towards the left. Kiseki was left in the middle, and he stood unguarded, still as a statue.

"You guys let me have this one, ok?" he asked calmly to his friends, not acknowledging the Cyclops. "It's been a while since the last time I'd given someone a good beating."

At the last possible moment, Kiseki jumped up and over the giant. The Cyclops stopped, confused, and spun around to look for him. That was all the time that Kiseki needed; he was ready. He leaped up, did a double spin, and kicked the Cyclops in the eye. He didn't kill him, though; he didn't want to just yet.

"AAARRGGHH!" the Cyclops screamed, holding his bloody eye.

"You were the one who ate those humans, weren't you?" Kiseki asked coldly, looking at the Cyclops who was bent over. "That wasn't very smart of you, to leave the bones scattered around like that."

"CURSE YOU!" The Cyclops squinted, and grabbed at Kiseki.

Kiseki was way too fast for him. He dodged out of the way, and ducked underneath the Cyclops's massive arms to punch him in the stomach. Everyone in the tunnel heard the ribs and bones crunching.

Even Mizore winced. Kurumu, standing beside from her, shook her head slowly. "Damn, if Ame was here… Well, Kiseki would sure be in a lot of trouble."

"Why?" Mizore asked, watching Kiseki continue to beat up the monster.

Kurumu didn't answer directly. Instead, she gave a sad smile and said: "God, I miss her already. Her and her goody-goody, nice-girl ways. She kept Kiseki in line most of the time."

Mizore smiled as well. "I bet Kiseki's taking out most of his anger and anxiety on that poor Cyclops over there. He didn't have to beat him up so severely."

"He's just worried," Kurumu replied.

Finally, after what seemed like a very, very long time, Kiseki dusted himself off and returned back to his friends. "Had fun watching?" he asked, giving a crooked smile.

"No, that's not what I'd call fun." Tsukune replied, shaking his head. Then he sighed, and patted Kiseki on the shoulder. "It's ok, Kiseki, we're going to find her, all right? No need to be so agitated."

At once, Kiseki took on a defensive stance. "Who said I was agitated because of her? There are plenty of reasons why I'd want to beat that trash up. She wouldn't want him to stay down here and continue harming humans, right? I mean-"

"Okay, just stop talking." Moka smiled, and guided him forwards deeper into the tunnel. "It seems like we've already passed the first ring already; we should hurry and continue."

"You're right," Yukari agreed. The group nodded, and went on their way.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong>

Hey guys~

Sorry for such a short chapter D: I kinda wanted to have one level per chapter (so a total of 9 whole chapters on Tsukune and co. and their tunnel experience), so bear with me if this wasn't as "long" and "action-packed" as you were hoping. The action comes later, trust me ;)

Anyways, look forward to the next few chapters! :D

- ACookieZ


	33. Chapter 33: The Second Level

**Angel vs. Demon**

Chapter 33 – The Second Level

Kenta was scouting up ahead. He kept running back and fourth around the tunnels, despite Moka's continuous warnings not to. He poked his nose into each and every nook and cranny, and frequently sniffed the air.

Kenta was not the only one who stayed on his guard. The rest of the group tried to act their part, too. They didn't want to be taken off guard again, no matter how insignificant and weak their opponent seemed to be (like the Cyclops from Level One, for example). When the ceilings of the tunnels got too high, it was Kurumu's job to fly around and look for any signs or hints that might help them get to their destination faster. And, as soon as the opportunity presented itself, Mizore would not hesitate to throw her ice shards at any opposing enemy. The big guns (Moka, Kiseki, and Tsukune) relied on their senses, and were to attack only when their opponent was too powerful.

"You know, this isn't so hard," Kenta declared, skipping around. "That Cyclops seemed really stupid, if you asked me. I mean, 'me hungry'? Really?"

"Hey, Kenta, be careful what you say!" Kurumu chided. "You never know how powerful our opponents are going to be. Never let them catch you off your guard!"

"I know, I know, but I'm just saying…"

Moka intervened. "You never know how powerful they will be next time. The first few levels are probably just to throw us off and caution us; the later monsters are probably going to do some real damage."

"And we'll be prepared for them when the time comes," Yukari replied, holding her wand ready.

"Meanwhile…" Kenta smiled, and bounced back to Tsukune. "Can you tell me a story?"

Tsukune looked taken aback. "A story? Well…"

"Oh, don't tell me nothing interesting happened to you! That's boring."

"No, it's not that. I just… Well, fine. There are just so many stories to tell, and not all of them are appropriate or very encouraging at this point. And most of those stories are from the monster world. Hmm… how about I tell you a story from when I was in the human world? I got bitten by a snake!"

"A snake?" Kenta gasped, his eyes wide. Dogs hated snakes.

"Yeah, a snake. My family and I went out camping one day. This was when I was little, so don't judge me too harshly, okay? And it wasn't even my fault." Tsukune smiled, his eyes distant as if looking into the past, and then continued. "My cousin dragged me out into the woods to 'explore', as she told me. I just wanted to stay at the campsite and roast marshmallows… But anyways, I remembered she was holding a long tree branch, kind of like a staff. I think it was meant to be used as a cane or a supporter or whatever, but she really just wanted to look like an explorer."

Kiseki rolled his eyes, but he couldn't help chuckling, as did the rest of them.

"She told me to grab one too," Tsukune continued. He sighed warily, as if he encountered forceful females on a daily basis (which, on second thought, he did). "She pointed at a pointy, smooth branch on the ground next to a rock. The tip was just showing from under a bush, so I had to go over and grab it and pull it out." Tsukune paused dramatically, and then sighed in embarrassment. "… It ended up being the snake's tail, and I got bitten. And to this day, I still don't know if she did it to me on purpose or not!"

Yukari and Kenta giggled, and the rest of them laughed good-naturedly. Even Kiseki cracked a smile.

"But you know what I didn't understand?" Tsukune inquired, huffing indignantly. "It's that the snake made no sound! How was I supposed to know it was a snake if it didn't even hiss?"

Suddenly, a faint hissing noise was heard.

"_Hhhsssssssssssssssss_…"

"Yeah," Tsukune said, nodding absent-mindedly. "It was supposed to hiss, exactly like that!"

The entire group froze, and Tsukune's expression turned from that of vague inattentiveness to one of hyper-awareness and alert.

"Wait a second…"

"_Hhhhhhsssssssssssssssssssss…!_"

"Oh great," Kurumu grunted, getting into a defensive position. "Here it comes."

And sure enough, as the group remained entirely silent, they heard the sound of slithering scales on the tunnel floors. It got louder and louder as it neared them… and, surprisingly, so did the clamour and the chattering. Of who or what, the group of friends didn't know yet. All they heard was the argument between two different voices.

"Ugh, I hate you! I told you not to make any noise! See what you did now? Our prey has gone all quiet! They probably suspect something!"

"Oh, shut up. You made just as much noise as I did… using _my_ stomach, by the way."

"How many times have we gone through this?" the first voice demanded, sounding impatient. "This is _my_ stomach, and _my_ body! You're only borrowing it!" This voice was high-pitched and wispy, sounding feminine, whereas the second voice sounded deeper and scratchier, seeming more masculine. The group of friends, noticing this, got on their guard and prepared for two different opponents.

What Tsukune and the others didn't expect, though, was to see _one_ extremely fat snake body. In unison, the friends' eyes traveled up the scaly body and to the stomach, where the body split into two. Where it branched off, two different bodies emerged… one male and one female. The female was on the left side, and the male was on the right side. The bodies above the large snake tail was relatively human, but also quite scaly. Simply picture Medusa having an adjoined male twin… but without the hair.

"What the…" Tsukune muttered, gaping at the creature.

"I don't like snakes," Kenta whimpered, growling softly.

Suddenly, as one, the two-headed creature turned looked at their audience.

"Oh look, Rigs, what do we have here?" the female snake-body hissed. Her reptilian pupils dilated hungrily and her forked tongue slithered in and out of her mouth.

"It's a surprise, Leslie! A surprise just for us… How nice." The one called Rigs stretched out his green, scaled arms and tried to reach towards Tsukune and the others, but Leslie slapped his hand back. Rigs immediately drew back his arm.

"Now, now, Rigs, don't be so hasty! We need to observe our specimens further before we devour them. I mean, look at them… What do we have here? A snow fairy, a succubus, a witch, a half-demon, a ghoul, and… and two vampires! What luck! I bet we can have plenty of fun with these fine monsters before lunch-time…"

Mizore gasped. "How do you know what we are?"

Instead of Leslie answering, Rigs cleared his throat. "Ahem, _I'm_ actually the one who does most of the work and the engineering. Leslie over here just gives me ideas."

"You're _nothing_ without my wise instructions, Rigs. Don't act so haughty!"

And the two were arguing again. Tsukune looked befuddled and was in the midst of scratching his head, Moka and Kurumu didn't know what to think of this, Mizore and Yukari was busy listening in to their argument and discussion, and Kenta just looked plain scared. Kiseki, meanwhile, seemed very impatient.

"Look," he snapped at the snake duo. "Are you finished here or not? Stop wasting our time. If you've got nothing better to do, then leave! You're blocking our way."

Leslie's head slowly turned towards Kiseki. Her yellow eyes narrowed dangerously. "What's that, Rigs? What did this vampire say to us?"

Rigs looked uncomfortable, but hissed a reply. "He wants us to leave, Leslie! Did you hear that? Our food is talking back to us!"

Leslie hissed menacingly. "Well, we can't let that happen, can we? We can't have our prey getting their way… After all, we were sent here to eat them."

"Wait, hold on!" asked Moka, eyes wide. "Sent here? By who?"

"We can't tell you that," Rigs cried, shaking his scaly head. "We'd get our snake tongues cut off if we do!"

"Shut up, Rigs." Leslie commanded. "Don't talk to the enemy. Just do what I tell you to, ok? We have to use our secret weapon for this one. The prey that we're dealing with today just seems a tad bit too powerful for my taste…"

"I prefer rats," Rigs said solemnly, hands clasped together.

"Kill them, Rigs, and you'll get all the rats you want."

At once, Rigs brightened. He hissed in anticipation, coiled and drew back. Tsukune, from experience, could tell that he was about to strike. How the snake duo could launch themselves all the way across to their side, he didn't know, but he wasn't taking any chances. The monster might look heavy and awkward, but everyone knew that monster snakes were venomous… no matter how tame/benign they look.

"Duck!" Tsukune shouted. The friends dove for different directions, and just in time, too. The two-headed snake monster shot across the air – above them – with shockingly fast speed and landed on the other side of them. They seem to have flown through the air!

"Damn!" Leslie cried, hissing. "Too slow! This ghoul knows what he's dealing with. Switch tactics, Rigs, switch tactics!"

Obedient, Rigs drew himself up to his full height and seemed to expand. Leslie seemed to be swallowed up into him, until only her upper torso was showing. Suddenly, without warning, Rigs plummeted downwards into the ground, almost body-slamming it. Moka knew what he was going for; he was trying to shake the ground and cause a mini earthquake, so his prey would fall unbalanced and be disoriented. Then he would probably take that opportunity and eat them.

"Jump!" Moka screamed, tensing her quads. "Jump as high as you can!"

The rest of her friends followed her example. Kurumu launched herself into the air with her wings, while the rest of the group did what they could. As soon as their feet left the ground, the earth rippled towards them in a wave. Had the group been on the floor, they would have been knocked out flat on their faces. Worst case scenario, they would have turned unconscious and been eaten.

After several long seconds, they landed back on their feet, safe and sound.

"RIGS!" Leslie screeched, returning back to her normal proportion. "Why didn't that work?"

"I don't know!" Rigs cried helplessly. "They saw through it! How did they know?"

"The vampire!" Leslie hissed angrily. "I've always hated vampires." Impatient, angry, and possibly ravenous, she dove for Moka. Rigs didn't move, though. He stayed where he was, and Leslie's body seemed to expand and stretch (long like a snake's) as she opened her jaws at Moka.

All of a sudden, a bright red light flashed inside the tunnel. Tsukune had gotten there in the nick of time and pulled Moka's rosario off; Leslie was near blinded from the red light as Inner Moka emerged.

"A two-headed snake demon?" a familiar deep voice said calmly, smirking. "How interesting. I've never fought one of those before."

"Shut up!" Leslie screamed. "Rigs, go get her!"

Moka smiled broadly. "I heard you saying that you're the brains behind all of Rigs' genius acts? Well… honey, you haven't met me yet."

Leslie seemed outraged. Her jaws cracked and expanded, and her fangs popped out; each one was about as long as a human arm. She spat venom at Moka and her friends, aiming it wherever she could. It was like acid rain – literally. Venom spewed out at everyone and rained down upon them. Tsukune and his friends had to dodge this way and that to avoid getting hit. Wherever the snake poison hit the ground, it sizzled and burned into the rocky earth. Wisps of smoke rose from the various dents it made.

To make matters worse, Rigs joined in. He aimed specifically at Moka, the one he felt most threatened by. It was like a venom hose, or a poisonous water gun. Moka did backflips and spins in midair to escape it, but she couldn't doge forever; she knew this.

What Moka did then seemed completely outrageous, dangerous, and maybe extremely clever.

Instead of running away, she sprinted towards the snake duo. Getting within close-range with them would make aiming their venom harder, and most likely confuse them. Moka twisted out of harm's (or in this case, venom's) way, and launched herself off of rocks and walls as she confused the two-headed monster. She danced around them in a tight, twisting spiral, and moved so fast that all everyone could see was a sphere of red blur, and Leslie and Rig's long intertwined snake necks circling around each other.

"What is she doing?" Kurumu cried, squinting.

"She's – Ah, I see," Yukari cried, snapping her fingers. "Moka is very very clever…"

After a few more moments of twisting, turning, dodging, and spinning, Moka leaped out of the mess. What remained behind her was a tangled ball of snake, all scales and tails. Leslie and Rigs were so busy trying to catch Moka that they didn't realize they were weaving around each other; they had gotten themselves tied up, and could not seem to get themselves untangled. It was like a big ball of snake yarn.

"You're a genius!" Kenta exclaimed, clapping. "You _are_ smarter than Leslie!"

Moka smiled at her work of art and congratulated herself. Meanwhile, Leslie and Rigs were in a heated argument.

"What the f*ck, Rigs! Why the hell is your neck so damn long? See what you got us into?"

"Me?" Rigs cried in disbelief. He struggled to move his head, but could not succeed. They just couldn't seem to untangle themselves. "Leslie, this was all your stupid idea! I'm never gonna listen to you again!"

"Aaarggh, Rigs, now we're gonna have to be punished! I swear, if we ever get out of this tangled mess, I'm getting you surgically removed!"

"_Leslie_...!" Rigs whined.

Moka tuned out their argument and dusted off her hands. "Let's go now, everyone. We'll need to hurry and get to the other levels before idt gets too late."

The group of friends nodded. Tsukune put the rosario back on to Moka's chest, and they collected themselves and left with a common goal in mind: to get their friend back.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong>

Hi y'all!

Thanks for reading again. I made this chapter a little longer than the last one, since I know it'll satisfy you guys… and when you're satisfied, I'm satisfied :3 Just please remember to review and stuff so I know what you think! Or else I'd be clueless all day and not know when/what to upload xP

Okay, so our friends passed the first 2 levels! Only about like 7 more to go…! xD Then comes the REALLY interesting bits! So Favorite this story and stay tuned~

- ACookieZ


	34. Chapter 34: The Third Level

**Angel vs. Demon**

Chapter 34 – The Third Level

"We really need to be on our guards now," Kurumu told everyone as they trekked downwards through the tunnels. "I can tell the enemies are just going to be eviller and more powerful as we get deeper!"

"Yeah, I'll definitely keep that in mind," Kenta promised, shivering. "I mean, really? Did they have to be snakes, for God's sake?"

"Moka sure had fun playing with them, though," Kiseki said dryly, smirking. "Make sure you let the rest of us get a turn next time, eh?"

"Oh, be quiet," replied Outer Moka, blushing. "I didn't really want to do that to the poor twins. They kind of ruined themselves, though, don't you think?"

"Yeah, with all their arguing… they were bound to end up destroying themselves sooner or later."

"Exactly why I'm happy I'm born an only child!" Kurumu declared.

"What?" Kenta cried. "I've always wanted a sibling! Well, not _a_ sibling… a whole bunch of them!"

"Trust me, Kenta," Kiseki advised, "Siblings are nothing but trouble. Even half-siblings, really." Kiseki shot a mock grimace towards Moka. Playing along, Moka grinned and playfully punched Kiseki in the shoulder.

"I kind of have a sibling," Tsukune decided, considering. "You guys remember my cousin from the human world, right?"

"Oh, right…"

"She was an amazingly fun person to be around," Tsukune recalled, smiling fondly. "And she loved to make fun of me all the time. And get me in trouble. And…" Tsukune frowned. "Now that I think about it, there's so many negative things I can name."

"Whatever, it's all past us now," Yukari answered, waving her wand. "We shouldn't be wasting our energy talking and stuff, really…"

"Exactly," agreed Kiseki, nodding. "I like my peace and quiet… Sometimes you guys are way too loud for your own good."

"Excuse me?" Kurumu cried, pretending to be upset. "That hurt, you know."

"'Unless someone's about to die, don't ever scream or cry'. That's one of my many mottos." Kiseki said, nodding philosophically.

The rest of his friends snorted, but agreed to stay silent. The atmosphere suddenly turned melancholy as many of them remembered that Ame used to have a bunch of siblings. Was she worrying about them right now? Was she missing them? But most importantly… was she missing _them_, her monster friends?

Kiseki clearly recalled the Headmaster saying that Ame would, perhaps, be corrupted or changed in some form or another. Although he wouldn't admit it or show it, he was worried about that fact. The one main thing that Kiseki found appealing in Ame was her compassion and gentleness. Who knew what Ms. De Mone was doing to her right now? She could be stripping Ame away of those qualities and turning her against them or something.

As if voicing his thoughts, Yukari spoke up. "I'm worried about Ame," she said, her brows scrunching together.

"We all are," Moka replied, sighing. "I just hope she's alright right now."

"But, c'mon," said Kenta, looking dubious, "I'm sure she'll be fine. I mean, we're in a school after all, right? And Ms. De Mone's a teacher! She wouldn't let anything happen to Ame…"

"That's the whole point!" Kiseki practically shouted. "That's why I'm concerned! Sure, Ms. De Mone's a teacher, but she has something against Ame, I know it. They've been enemies since before we even met! And although nobody speaks of it, I know that cursed teacher keeps Ame behind after class. And that bull-sh*t about her trying to 'educate' Ame and 'discipline' her… a load of crap. She's picking on her, it's so damn obvious."

Kenta, for the first time since they were down here, looked truly frightened. Before he was worried, sure, but he was also confident that Ame would be safe and that this would all be one big adventure. Him and his friends would be heroes and rescue their beloved Ame! Now, after hearing all this, experiencing the attack of the monsters and rethinking, his concern and distress outweighed his confidence. He now had no idea whether they would successfully free her or not… or whether any of them would return home safely. They were fine so far, but they would have to make dramatic sacrifices later on, and he was pretty sure that when they actually got home, they would have the battle wounds to prove it.

Suddenly, a chill wafted through the tunnels and past everyone.

Kurumu shivered. "Did any of you guys feel that?"

"Feel what?" Mizore said. "It felt comfortable for a second, though…"

"That explains it then," Yukari replied, shivering as well. "There was a breeze… no, it was more like a waft of cold air."

Everyone paused. "But how can this be?" Moka mumbled quizzically. "We're in a tunnel deep underground… there isn't supposed to be any wind down here."

Kiseki grounded his teeth together. "Oh great, here comes the next round."

Everyone readied themselves for their next opponent. Kenta expected it to be another big serpent, one that would swallow them up whole and cause him to be traumatized. Yukari thought of something more powerful: an evil sorcerer. Kurumu thought it was going to be a nother two-headed animal creature, and extended her claws out to slice it in half.

They were all wrong. They heard nothing, saw nothing, and felt nothing… except for the cold, stale air lingering in the tunnel.

"Where's the monster?" Kenta whispered, his ears swivelling around to catch any noise.

"Just hold on a second, Kenta," Tsukune answered quietly. "It'll come out in a moment. Just be ready…"

Still, nothing came. The air just kept getting stiller and staler, until it seemed like the group of friends were in some kind of tomb. That's what they felt like, too… they all had an uncomfortable feeling deep in the pit of their stomachs. However much he'd like to deny it, even Kiseki felt uneasy. And not because he was scared of whatever was to come; he felt anxious as if someone was going to be in trouble… as if someone was about to _die._

Yukari gulped. "Anyone else feel that? The uneasy feeling…?"

Kenta nodded vigorously, trying to shake himself out of whatever he was feeling. "I don't like this…"

Suddenly, out of the blue, a whisper was heard. It travelled through the tunnel and echoed into the ears of our voyagers.

"… _die… someone's going to _die…"

"Did you hear that?" Kurumu exclaimed quietly, looking around. "This voice seems to be explaining exactly what I'm feeling right now…"

Moka tapped her lightly on the arm, trying to lighten her up.

A black, robed figure slid across the tunnel to meet the friends. A dark hood covered its face, and it seemed to carry darkness along with it. What caught Tsukune's eyes, though, was the state of the cloak. It was tattered, frayed, old, and had holes in them, but it was surprisingly clean. Not a speck of dust rested on it; it was pure black. The frayed hems trailed after it like the train of a wedding gown… except it was all black. Black, dark, and deadly.

Yukari said what everyone suspected. "The voice was coming from that monster."

"_Die… everyone's going to die…!"_

Kenta, although shivering, tried to sound brave. "No we're not!" he shouted at the hooded figure. "We're going to survive and bring Ame back with us!"

It might have just been Kenta's imagination, but (with his super-dog-demon-senses) he thought he heard the robed figure snicker.

Mizore, who was the one feeling the most comfortable right now (cold and stillness did nothing to her; she was used to them all), felt compelled to act first. Without wasting another second, she shot ice shards at the dark figure. With her expertise, the ice shards didn't hit the monster directly; it caught against its robes and hood, and shredded it even more. The ice shards flung the cape backwards, to reveal the monster underneath.

Nobody expected the unveiling of the monster.

This monster, which everyone thought was male, turned out to be a female… and a quite hideous one, at that. This creature was unimaginably skinny; bones could be seen through the skin. The skin itself was so pale and ghostly it was almost a strange hue of blue. Not only that, the monster's hair was a disgusting mess! It was long and frizzy, and looked as if it hadn't been brushed in years. Strangely, though, like with the cloak, it didn't have any dirt on it; if you overlooked the messiness and the disarray, it could actually count as being clean.

Kurumu thought that the creature's nose looked like a hook; it drooped and hung down low, almost to the lips. Even her fingernails were long and curved. Kurumu felt glad that she had at least polished her nails once a week… She hadn't left it to that condition yet.

Outer Moka, although fearful of the creature, couldn't bring herself to kill it. This monster looked anorexic, as if it hadn't fed in months. And it just stood there, looking as melancholy as you wouldn't believe. It did send off a creepy vibe, though… this monster was the one that made the entire atmosphere feel so gloomy and depressing.

Tsukune decided to let their opponent make the first move. He didn't know how she would operate yet, so he didn't know how they would attack.

Their so-called opponent didn't attack, though. Not at all. She just stood there, head hung low, and mumbled to herself.

"Death is everywhere," she murmured, pale ghastly lips hardly moving. "You're all going to die… everyone is going to die…!"

No one said a word; no one knew how to respond to that. How did this creature know, first of all? And how was she so sure that they would all perish here?

Kenta felt too strange to wait any longer. He'd never felt so depressed and anxious before. Without waiting for anyone else, he made the first move. Kenta tore off his dog tag and sprinted to the monster, claws outstretched.

The monster, oblivious to Kenta, was still muttering. "Everyone… everyone's going to DIIIIIIEEEEEEEEE!"

The last word was directed towards Kenta. The monster's head snapped up, her mouth was open wide as if it was screaming. And scream it did. She send a full-out screech at Kenta.

Normally, one would think that this wouldn't deter a dog-demon. Normally, one would think that screaming loudly enough to cause someone brain damage wasn't possible…

Well, this monster sure managed it. Kenta was blown back by the sonic screech, and flung to the other end of the tunnel. The high-pitched scream was too shrill for his sensitive doggy ears, and he felt terribly dizzy.

Yukari gasped. "Oh my gosh, this is a banshee!"

"A ban-what?" Kurumu demanded, plugging her ears.

"A banshee!" Yukari shouted. Although the "banshee" wasn't screaming anymore (she only shouted for a few seconds to deter Kenta), her piercing cry still hurt the friends' ears. Yukari heard ringing, and she had to shout in order to be heard… even over herself. "A banshee is a female monster that supposedly brings death… it has a piercing cry that will cause pain to any opponent's ears."

"Well, I figured that much out already," Kiseki grumbled, rubbing his own ears. Being monsters might have a few good points... being able to hear incredibly soft sounds (that a human wouldn't be able to detect at all) was one of them. But that also had a down side; having that good a hearing also meant that they were more prone to loud noises. Their ears were sensitive and delicate, and overly noisy things especially irritated monsters.

This banshee seemed to be resistant to that.

"Will someone get it to stop screaming!" Kurumu shouted, almost screaming herself. She had her hands over her ears and her eyes squeezed shut.

Mizore tried. She honestly tried. She conjured up dozens of ice shards and sent them at the banshee. The banshee seemed to have supersonic screams or something; the ice shards shattered from her vibrations before even touching her.

"This won't work!" Mizore yelled, trying again and again. "My attacks won't work against her screaming…"

Kurumu had enough; she decided to take matters into her own hands. With her claws extended, she flew at the banshee. The banshee simply dodged out of the way, and Kurumu was thrown backwards like Kenta was before.

After Kurumu tried to attack her, the banshee seemed to turn angry. Her piercing screams – if possible – seemed to rise in pitch and volume until it looked like the tunnel walls were going to shatter.

The group of friends couldn't hear anything but the screams. It penetrated their skulls and lodged inside of their heads, and almost felt like a physical and mental pain. It hurt to think, it hurt to move, and they couldn't do anything but pray for it to end soon. Even Kiseki, the seemingly "tough" one, kept wincing as he struggled not to give in, cover his ears with his hands, and cower on the ground in fetal position.

_I can't bear this any more… _he thought, _We need to hurry up and find Ame! I can't let this insignificant creature stop us from doing so…!_

Before he could do anything, though (if he even could), he saw something move from the corner of his eyes. In the midst of the banshee's screaming, Mizore was doing something of her own… she was making an ice case appear around her head. At first Kiseki didn't understand why… but then a light bulb switched on, and he got it.

_A-ha,_ he noted with approval, _Mizore is very clever._

The ice fairy had formed an amour of ice around her body to block out the sound coming from the banshee. And because she was far away from the screaming monster, her ice wouldn't be shattered. From what Kiseki had learned before, Mizore could make a sound-proof ice wall… which was what he assumed she made then. Now, behind her armor of ice, Mizore could think clearly again. She could figure out a way to take down this banshee and rescue Ame.

Kiseki decided to aid her and speed up the process.

"Hey!" he shouted as loud as he could (it was hard to be heard over the banshee's loud shrieks). "Banshee! Over here!"

Trying to get the monster's attention, Kiseki started flicking rocks and clusters of mud at the banshee. It all shattered before it could touch her, but it did the job anyway. Her head snapped up to where Kiseki was standing, and her beady little eyes narrowed at him. Kiseki's main goal was to distract the banshee long enough for Mizore to do her job.

Mizore realized and noticed what Kiseki was doing for her. Smiling slightly to herself, she moved a little closer to the banshee… but not close enough to have her ice shattered. The banshee, still being distracted by Kiseki, was preoccupied and did not notice Mizore's advance. The screaming monster began aiming her piercing cries at Kiseki, instead of at everyone – and everywhere – else. Kiseki's job was complete; he had succeeded in focusing the banshee's sound waves onto himself and distracting her, leaving the ice fairy to complete her job (whatever it was).

Mizore (after only a moment of hesitation to make sure everything was clear and ready for her to go) slammed her ice fist onto the dirt ground. A track of ice shards sprang up and – like fire being lit on a trail of gasoline – snaked along the ground rapidly towards the banshee. It reached the monster's foot and froze it to the ground. The banshee, being too startled to immediately react to this, kind of froze in mid-scream. Mizore's enchanted ice quickly climbed up her body and encased her within a huge ice block; pretty soon, the banshee was completely frozen. She screamed no more.

As Mizore's ice walls crumpled (under her command, of course), she appraised her work of art. The banshee was consumed in the magic ice and glittered and shone (even though there was hardly any light down in the tunnels), but it still looked eerie. Her black, beady eyes were wide open still, as was her mouth. Her mouth was open in a large "O" shape… Mizore had gotten her exactly mid-scream. As for the rest of her body, Mizore shuddered and tried not to think too much. A banshee did _not_ look good, frozen or not.

There was still a faint ringing and buzzing noise in everyone's ears, but they managed to move.

"Ow, my head!" Kenta complained, massaging his doggy ears. "That woman had such strong lungs!"

Moka smiled at Kenta's description, but massaged her own head. Inner Moka was not let out for this round, so it was harder on Outer Moka, but she was faring well. Kurumu groaned but said nothing, and Yukai could be seen shaking her head several times as if trying to clear it.

After a while, Kenta approached Mizore.

"Mizore! How did you figure out the way to defeat the banshee? Your ice… is it something magical?"

While scratching Kenta's ears, Mizore grinned. "Yes, it is. You wouldn't understand if I told you everything, Kenta, but a long while ago, when I was… 'depressed', I guess you could say, I used to lock myself up in my sound-proof ice for hours." She paused, and then smiled. "But now, it's finally come to some good use, huh? Not just for my own selfish reasons."

Kenta didn't look like he understood, but he nodded his head nonetheless. He grinned encouragingly at Mizore. "Your reasons aren't selfish! You saved us today, Mizore!"

Mizore shook her head lightly, but didn't say anything. Looking sideways at Kiseki, the corners of her lips rose. Nobody knew of Kiseki's helping hand, so she couldn't take all the credit by herself. Kiseki realized what she was thinking and winked reassuringly at her, and Mizore knew that without him there (and them working as a team), she wouldn't be able to defeat the monster. It required their entire group to work together to succeed.

And so, Tsukune and his friends had passed yet another level of the demonic underground tunnels.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong>

Hiii! :D

Mizore gets a chance to prove herself in this chapter and show off a little! ;) Looks like her ice powers really came in handy today.

Well, there's still like about 6 more underground/tunnel chapters to go…! So sit tight, haha.

- ACookieZ


	35. Chapter 35: The Fourth Level

**Angel vs. Demon**

Chapter 35 – The Fourth Level

The entire group travelled in silence. After their last encounter with the banshee, nobody wanted to listen to any noises for a while. Instead, they reflected on what had happened, and what they were going to do. Admittedly, they couldn't do anything but continue walking. They didn't know where it would take them… they didn't even know where their destination was. They just knew they had to reach there.

"My head's still ringing from that last level," Kurumu grumbled, massaging her temples. "I feel like I'm going to puke."

"Want me to come with you back there?" Moka offered, looking concerned. "There was quite a deep dent somewhere behind us… you could vomit there. We could cover it up later… don't worry, it's not far."

Kurumu shook her head silently. "You take me too seriously sometimes, Moka."

Moka sighed, not amused. Like a concerned mother, she looked behind her to check if everyone was still together; she didn't want anyone to be missing.

Yukari, the last one in line (she was walking behind Kiseki), suddenly heard something behind her. It sounded like a rock rolling… as if someone was walking on a pebbly road.

Yukari slowly twisted around to look, but there was nothing there. She frowned and squinted into the darkness, but she still couldn't see anything. Shrugging, she turned around and continued to walk behind Kiseki.

Suddenly, a hand emerged from the earth – all rocky with dirt and mud falling off of it in chunks – and wrapped itself around Yukari's ankle from behind. Yukari's eyes widened, but before she could work up a decent scream, she was pulled under. The hand had dragged her down below, beneath the surface of the ground.

Moka didn't notice, and neither did anyone else. Kiseki, however, being the closest to Yukari in the line, felt some movement behind him. He continued walking and did not look back behind him to check, but he was aware that something might have happened. He pricked up his ears and strained them to listen for any abnormal sounds. Kiseki began to get worried.

Why? Because it was silent behind him. That was it; he did not hear a single thing moving behind him. What he should have heard was Yukari's quiet footsteps… but he got nothing.

Kiseki immediately spun around. When he didn't see any signs Yukari, he called for his other friends to stop.

"Yukari's gone." Kiseki stared around him in disbelief.

"Where could she have gone?" Tsukune asked, a worried tone in his voice. There was no place for Yukari to disappear off to. The tunnel, although long and winding, stretched on for ages; there was no way Yukari would have run back far enough without anyone noticing.

"Maybe she was taken? But I didn't hear any shouts or screams or anything," Kurumu added, frowning.

"Something's wrong," Moka said, her face going pale. "Kiseki, when was the last time you saw Yukari? The last time I checked, she was still behind us."

"I didn't check like you did," Kiseki replied honestly, "but I did sense something wrong behind me. Yukari was walking normally, but she seemed to have paused; I couldn't hear her walking. Then, I sensed movement behind me… and when I looked back, she was gone."

Kenta's face went grey. "Oh no, someone stole her! Some monster must have gotten a hold of her!"

"Shh, Kenta, don't say that," Moka whispered, looking pretty grim herself. "We would have noticed, wouldn't we?"

"But what if we didn't?" Mizore asked, her arms crossed. "What if the monster – whatever it is – took Yukari without us noticing and made her disappear along with it?"

Everyone was silent.

"Well, what are we doing just standing here, then?" Kurumu demanded. "We should be looking for her or something!"

Since, apparently, Yukari couldn't be seen with the naked monster eye, Tsukune and his friends decided to try to find her using their senses and their powers. Everyone closed their eyes and focused on locating Yukari. When no one came up with anything (the energy in the tunnel was too scattered for them to find Yukari), Kenta began using his nose.

"Her trail ends right here," he said, pointing to a spot a few meters behind them. "But after this place… I can't smell anything."

"That's weird," Tsukune commented, scratching his chin. "Then that means…"

"She didn't move from that spot?" Kurumu finished, an eyebrow raised. "You mean she disappeared right there?"

Kenta nodded. "Look, there's even some kind of crater in the ground right here! Kind of like she was pulled under or something…"

The entire group turned to stare at the spot where Yukari was "pulled under", and for a while no one said a word.

Behind them, where no one could see, a mound of dirt traveled towards them… it was like a bump in the earth. And it was moving towards them at a surprisingly fast rate.

Tsukune felt the urge to turn around right at the last second, and his eyes went wide at the sight of the moving molehill. He had enough sense to push Moka out of the way at the last second before a dirty – literally "dirt-y", since it was made out of dirt – hand sprung out of the mound and tried to grab her.

Moka let out a little shriek at the sight of the earthy hand.

"So that's what took Yukari!" Kiseki cried in realization. "That hand!"

"Well, if there's a hand, then there must be something attached to it," Kurumu reasoned, flexing her wrists. Immediately, her extra-long nails (or claws, depending on how you saw them) emerged. Kurumu sprinted towards the hand and promptly sliced it in half.

If the hand was actually fleshy (and had a functioning circulatory system) then it would have been a gruesome sight… for Kurumu had chopped off all the hand's fingers, and even grazed the top off of the thumb. However, the group of friends soon realized that the hand was not alive at all. The dirt fingers flew off of the hand after being chopped, but other than that, nothing else happened. There was no arteries, no blood spewing everywhere, and no sign of any pain from the hand itself. The fingers simply melted into the earth after coming into contact with the ground… there was no sign of any remains at all.

"What…?" Kurumu commented out loud, clearly confused. When she cut someone, she expected to see blood… so, clearly, this hand had some sort of problem. After a few seconds of hesitation (the stubby hand was still sticking out of the ground), she proceeded to chop it in half.

"Wait, hold on a second," said Kiseki, holding Kurumu back.

The hand, still only a few moments before, suddenly shivered. It trembled, and while it did, it regenerated; the chopped-off fingers grew back into the stubs, and after a minute, the hand looked as good as new.

Kurumu's mouth dropped open.

Kiseki shook his head at her. "If you kept chopping it, then it would simply continue to grow back. And – like you said before – there's more where that came from… I bet there's an entire body here. Probably hiding underneath the ground. And we have to find some way to defeat it once it fully emerges. I bet what you did now just pissed it off… nothing more."

Kurumu huffed in annoyance, but had on a worried expression on her face. If they couldn't hurt this monster, then it was impossible to defeat!

"It's coming out of the ground," Kenta whispered in horror, staring at the hand. Indeed, it was. The hand seemed to pull itself out of the earth, little by little. The group of friends could only watch as the dirt, mud, and earth collected itself and formed a body.

And to everyone's surprise, it was a small, short, chunky body.

"What the…?"

The earthy figure had pointy ears, a long hooked nose, pointy chin, large bushy eyebrows, stubby hands, and a very big wart on its face. The large hollow eyes on its face slowly opened and stared at the group.

"If you ever do that again," it said slowly, emphasizing each word, "I will do more than just regenerate. I'm an Earth Dwarf, and this is my territory!"

If its voice wasn't so deep, scratchy, and gruff, then the sight could even be laughable. This little old man was threatening a group full of experienced, powerful monsters? Ha! Just the thought of that would have made Kiseki laugh a few days before. But now, their friend was in danger… and another one had been captured. This was no laughing matter.

Kurumu, however, couldn't seem to be quiet. She was still upset about the fact that she couldn't kill the creature by slicing it, so she snapped back at it instead.

"What are you going to do, huh? Scare us with your dirt and your mud? Oh, I'm terrified!" she mock-shivered, "I would hate to get my clothes all dirty!"

The Earth Dwarf glared at Kurumu with such hatred in his eyes he could kill with just one glance.

"Oh, I'll do more than that…" he grinned evilly, forming a fist. Immediately, a giant mound of dirt appeared next to him and formed the shape of his hand, also in a fist. He seemed to have total control of the earth; it bent at his will. "I'll trap you all like I did with your little friend right here."

Suddenly, Yukari materialized inside of the fist. She appeared to be unconscious (she wasn't struggling), and her head was lolling against her chest. Her normally perfect, shiny hair was messed up, and she had dirt all over her clothes.

"Why, you…" Kurumu clenched her teeth and her fists. "Give Yukari back to us right now!"

The dwarf threw back his head and laughed. "Ha! Now that's quite a thought. I'd gone through all the trouble of capturing her, just to return her back to you? No way! You're the ones who trespassed on my territory… Until you all died or disappeared, I'm never leaving you alone."

Tsukune realized that this dwarf was simply upset that they were on his property. Being the pacifist that he was, he tried to reason with him.

"Um, Mr. Earth Dwarf, I think there's been some confusion…" Tsukune stepped forward a little, but when the dwarf glared at his foot, he returned back to where he was before. "You see, we only wish to pass by this tunnel to get to the other side to find our friend. She might be in danger, and I'm sorry for the trouble, but we'll need to cross your, um, 'territory' to find her."

The dwarf considered for a moment. "Well… they did tell me that a group of travelers would pass by and try to rescue her… hmm."

Kiseki's head snapped up and his eyes met the dwarf's. "What did you say?" he demanded, putting force behind each word. "Who told you that?"

The dwarf realized that he had messed up, and began stuttering. "Oh, um, no one. They told me not to- I mean, I don't know what you're talking about."

"Listen, old dwarf man," Kiseki snapped, his words sounding venomous, "We're looking for our friend. She could be in grave danger. If you know something – anything – you'd better tell us. You'd regret it if you didn't."

The dwarf turned angry. "Why should I tell you? Why should I tell you anything? You can't make me! This is my land, my planet! Earth belonged to the Earth Dwarves from the very beginning – we controlled it – but you stupid monsters came along and claimed it for your own. And now you're threatening me on my own property? Ha! How preposterous!"

He squeezed his fist, and Yukari (who seemed unconscious before) cried out in pain as her head sprang up. Compared to the Earth Dwarf's tiny hand, the rocky fist enclosing Yukari seemed to have much more force.

Moka's hand reached out to her in alarm. "Stop it! Don't hurt her!"

"You can't tell me to do anything!" the dwarf cried indignantly. "I will kill her first, and then I'd destroy the rest of you! I was promised the return of my land if I did!"

Although the dwarf gave no explanation, Kiseki understood. Someone was behind all of this, forcing the monsters to fight them in the tunnels, giving empty promises. He shook his head sadly, looking at the dwarf in disgust. However, he felt more disgust towards the mastermind behind this. He was going to rescue Ame first (that was his main priority), and then he was going to tear that person apart limb by limb.

Tsukune, looking at Yukari suffering, couldn't take it anymore. He charged at the dwarf, yelling in an intimidating way. He was going to give the old dwarf a right hook to the side of the head, but a rock wall appeared in front of Tsukune at very last second; he ended up punching the rock wall and hurting his fist. Tsukune did cause some damage to the wall, though… it was dented and cracked with stones and chunks of rock falling out of it, but it still wasn't enough to hurt the old dwarf.

"Damn it!" Tsukune shouted, glaring daggers at the rock wall. Or, more precisely, at the Earth Dwarf behind the thick rock wall.

"I can do this for as long as you want!" the dwarf shouted in glee. "You'll never be able to defeat me in my territory!"

Suddenly, Kurumu had an idea. _…never be able to defeat him in his territory, huh…?_

The ground – the earth – was his territory. But if he was not close to his element, then…

"Mizore!" Kurumu shouted, "When I say 'NOW', freeze him!"

Both the dwarf and the snow fairy seemed confused, but Kurumu spared no more time on explaining further. Wings sprung out of her back as she flew towards the dwarf, a determined expression on her face. The Earth Dwarf widened his eyes in alarm at Kurumu. She wasn't attacking yet (her claws were close by her sides), so he had no idea what she was planning to do. She simply flew at him.

The dwarf tried to put up a rock wall in front of her like he did with Tsukune, but Kurumu promptly flew around that. And when the Earth Dwarf sent chunks of pointy rocks in Kurumu's direction, she simply dodged them all. He even tried to cause a shower of mud bits and pebbles to rain over Kurumu and damage her wings, but that didn't work either.

When Kurumu was close enough to strike, the dwarf dodged to the side. Kurumu wasn't bent on attacking him, though… she goaded him and pushed him into corners and nooks and crannies until he had no choice but to go up.

He couldn't fly, though; Earth Dwarves couldn't levitate. The only thing he could do was raise himself high up on a platform of rock to escape his opponent.

A quick grin flashed across Kurumu's face; everything was going as planned. With a swift slash, she cut across the rock platform with her claws. The Earth Dwarf began to fall (since the platform no longer supported him), but because he was in mid-air, he couldn't regenerate and create another platform or anything to stop himself from falling; he was not in physical contact with the earth (his element), so he could not draw his powers from there. He'd have to wait until he dropped onto the ground to conjure something up and counterattack.

But Kurumu wouldn't let him touch the ground. Before he got even close, she shouted: "NOW!"

Mizore obeyed and froze the Dwarf Man in mid-air. He fell onto the ground - frozen solid - with a _clang_. And he didn't melt into the ground like he would have… nor did he make the earth obey his commands and attack them.

Because he was attacked when he was not physically in contact with his element, he was defeated… and he stayed defeated, too. He was like a frozen specimen. He still had that shocked, surprised expression on his face… and it would be there until the end of time. He was preserved in magical ice that would not melt.

"Yes!" Kurumu exclaimed, pumping her fist into the air. "I did it! I figured out a way to defeat him!"

Moka and the others ran up to give her a quick group hug, but then they immediately went over to help Yukari.

Yukari seemed to be in a delicate state. She was clearly suffering from loss of oxygen (being dragged deep into the ground where there was no air), and the giant rock fist squeezing her only moments before did no good either. The good thing was, she was a witch… and witches healed fast.

"Oh, I'm so happy you're okay," Kurumu cried, squeezing Yukari once more. Kurumu's squeeze was no match for the rock fist's, of course, but Yukari still protested against it. Weakly.

"I'm just so glad that everyone's fine," Tsukune said, relieved. "We'll need to stick together and be more cautious from now on… I don't want anyone else getting hurt."

"I'm… fine," Yukari croaked, coughing slightly. "That old dwarf was shorter than I was! If I could, I would have defeated him in a second."

Moka smiled at her, grateful she was physically unscathed. She might have been winded, but she was not hurt too bad.

"Alright, everyone," Tsukune said, leading the way, "I don't want to push any of you, but we must hurry… And this time, we're keeping a close eye on each other, got that? I'm not saying to hold hands or anything, but let's try not to walk in a single file anymore…"

Everyone nodded in agreement, and the crew set out on their journey once more.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong>

Like in the chapter before, Mizore kind of helped out a bit... although barely. This time, it was mainly Air (Kurumu) versus Earth (the Earth Dwarf)! And of course air would win… everyone needs oxygen, even monsters ;D

Ok, that made no sense in this context. But anyways. The next chapter will be equally as exciting (if not more) so Favorite, Review, and stay tuned! :)

- ACookieZ


	36. Chapter 36: The Fifth Level

**Angel vs. Demon**

Chapter 36 – The Fifth Level

"Are you sure you're okay?" asked Moka, touching Yukari lightly on the shoulder. "That Earth Dwarf on the last level was too much…"

"I'm fine," Yukari replied brightly, smiling. "I mean, I had trouble getting air into my lungs for the first few minutes, but now I'm seriously okay."

Moka eventually nodded, relieved. They hadn't even gotten past half of the levels yet (they were _almost_ to half). Moka knew that they were going to be facing way stronger enemies soon, and she didn't want anyone to be hurt especially when they needed to be on their guards. That would make them more prone to attacks… and she didn't want anyone to be injured, much less die. They were Ame's only hope of rescue, and friends had to stick together.

"Moka, you should stop worrying so much!" Kenta, as if reading Moka's mind, came up to her from behind and rubbed her forearm comfortingly. "I know that it's been hard – and even _I'm_ worried – but we're going to make it! Ame's waiting for us somewhere, and she wouldn't want you to be all sad and depressed."

Moka smiled, patting Kenta's head. _He's right, _she realized. _Why am I wasting all my energy on worrying? We're going to be okay, all of us… I mean, none of us are severely injured yet. It's not like some monster is going to leap out of nowhere and – _

"Aaaah!" Kurumu screamed. She scurried back hastily, bumping into everyone in the process. But even as she knocked into the people behind her, she did not stop or even slow down. Kurumu pushed back farther and farther, as if trying to get everyone as far back as possible. In the midst of this, no one could see what had made Kurumu so agitated. They could, however, hear sounds…

Very, very loud sounds.

"RWWAAAAAOOORRRR!" something bellowed ahead.

"Alright, here it comes," Kiseki warned everyone, getting into a defensive position. "Get ready…!"

Almost a millisecond after they prepared themselves, a huge, furry monster leaped out from around the bend of the tunnel ahead of them. At first, the group of friends thought that it was some kind of lion (it certainly looked like a lion)… but Kenta knew better. He was part dog-demon himself, so he knew what animals should smell like.

And this creature definitely wasn't it.

"Wha-What the…?" Kurumu couldn't find the words to express herself. "Is that a _goat head _I see?"

"Yes!" Mizore replied in disbelief, "It's coming out of the lion's shoulder!"

Yukari straightened her witch hat. "It's called a chimera. They're monsters from Greek mythology… They're very deadly creatures. Almost an equivalent to the Japanese Yoko fox monster!"

"Well, that sure was useful knowledge," Kurumu stated sarcastically, backing away from the "chimera". "The real question is… how the hell are we supposed to defeat this thing?"

Yukari pondered this question for a moment. "Well… it has a snake for its tail. That spits out venomous poison. And the chimera's lion head can breathe out fire… did I mention that?"

Almost everyone groaned in dissatisfaction.

"It can't be that hard to defeat, though," Tsukune reasoned, thinking of strategies rapidly. "After all, it's made out of flesh. Animal flesh, too… it won't be as difficult as our other opponents. Mizore, can you try to freeze this creature?"

"Sure thing." With a flick of her wrists, her ice hands emerged. She aimed it towards the chimera (who had no idea what she was about to do), and shot an ice beam at it.

It did freeze the chimera. Temporarily. It turns out the chimera had magical powers of its own, like Yukari mentioned before. With merely a breath of fire, Mizore's magic ice was melted. The chimera seemed to be glaring at Mizore as it shook the wet liquefied ice off of its fur.

"Well, that sure didn't work," Mizore commented weakly. "I only seemed to make it angrier…"

"Alright, let's try something else," Tsukune replied, frowning in concentration. A drop of sweat dripped off of his brows.

"I'll go," Kurumu volunteered. "I want to get the chance to kill it."

Tsukune and Moka shook their heads. "Did you see what happened to Mizore's ice? I don't want you to share to same fate. That chimera's fire can sure cause serious damage."

Kurumu nodded, resigned. "You're right."

"You know, why can't we just get Inner Moka to handle this?" Kenta asked, "I bet she'll take care of it in a second!"

Before anyone could reply to this, though, the chimera spoke. It _spoke_.

"I do not wish to attack you," it said in a deep, growling voice. What was very abnormal (and extremely eerie) about its voice was that there seemed to be three different tones of voices speaking in unison; three layers of voices spoke simultaneously, and overlapped each other. A snake's hissing voice, a lion's feline voice, and a goat's throaty voice could be detected from that one single sentence if one listened hard enough.

"I don't wish to attack you," it repeated again. "I came to negotiate instead. Chimeras are strong, ancient, powerful monsters; I do not desire to fight with humanoid monsters such as you."

Kurumu snorted, but the chimera – ignoring her – continued on with its speech.

"I came here to discuss something with you. And then – if you don't agree – then I will attack you."

"Then we get no choice?" Kiseki demanded, knowing full well the answer to his question. Still, he dared to question the chimera with his eyebrow raised. "We get no say in this matter – this 'discussion', as you call it?"

The chimera thought for a moment. "You get to listen to what I have to say. Is that not good enough?"

Kiseki did not reply. He had his poker face on, and was staring blankly at the chimera. The chimera took this as a sign to continue.

"I came here to persuade you. I've got orders sent to me from higher up to kill you on the spot, but I do not wish to do so in such an uncivilized manner. I assume you all know by now that the monsters that have been set up to attack you are all hired by authority figures?"

Kiseki nodded to himself; the chimera had just confirmed what he had suspected.

"Good. Well, obviously there is an overall plan – a project – going on… and we are going to be a part of it. We are _already_ a part of it, in fact. I'm here today to persuade _you_ to be a part of it."

"A plan?" Kenta asked innocently. "What kind of plan? We just came here to rescue our friend… we didn't suspect that there was going to be something bigger involved."

"Well, of course you didn't anticipate it; I expect nothing more out of you all. Now you know, however. And I must apologize for my rudeness; I actually see some power and talent hidden inside most of you. You will all be fairly useful. But you all must know that I am sent here to kill you all; I have the power to decide which one of you lives or dies."

The chimera let the silence ring through the tunnel for dramatic effect.

"Wait… so is this what you wanted to discuss with us?" Moka asked.

"Why, I suppose so. I wanted to share a bit of information with you before you all perish."

Kenta gulped nervously. The chimera, picking this up, turned its great head towards the half-dog-demon.

"Hmm… I've decided." The chimera raised its head – or more correctly, _heads_ – higher and pointed its lion nose at Kenta. "I will keep this young fellow right here. As for the rest of you… farewell."

"Wait!" Kenta almost screamed. He put his palms out in front of him, as if stopping the great beast. "Hold on a second! Keep me? You mean, you will kill the rest of my friends?"

The chimera snorted in confirmation.

"No!" Kenta cried, shaking his head frantically. "You can't. I won't let you!"

"My young friend, you should be honoured that I even considered letting you live. Although, the only reason I did so is because you are a fellow animal-monster… like me."

Kenta's eyes were wide, but he did not interrupt. The chimera continued talking in its creepy, three-tone voice.

"You should know that such monsters nowadays are getting rare. Humanoid monsters overrule, like your friends over here… lowly insect monsters, or other unmentionable, insignificant, useless creatures. We are the ones that are becoming extinct, my friend. And I say this with absolute seriousness. Sure, there are plenty of other animal monsters out there roaming around, but they are not as powerful as you and I! They live by stealing food from others, and hiding themselves! I suggest that the time has come for the animal kingdom of monsters to strike back. We will strike back, and we will do so with force… We will show them that we are not to be taken lightly."

Kenta made no comment whatsoever. Truthfully, he didn't think much about what the chimera said before. He knew that animal monsters were prejudiced against; they were often disregarded and not held in high positions like the humanoid monsters. They were slowly getting pushed back, and as a result, many were dying. With global warming, habitat loss and fragmentation, there was simply no place for them to be anymore.

Kenta knew this. He knew all of that. But what could he – a mere half-demon – do about it? He was still just a kid! Joining the chimera's forces wouldn't make much of a difference. And, since his father was cruel enough to impregnate his mother and then leave her, he bet that there were plenty of other half-dog-demons out there in the same situation as him. What could they do? Almost nothing. They couldn't strike back at all, for the other, more powerful monsters would simply push them back down again. Both in the human world and in the monster world, animals were not meant to rule; and even if they were, nobody would let them.

"I can't join you," Kenta replied honestly, shaking his shaggy silver head. "I belong here, with my friends." He smiled sincerely at Tsukune, Moka, Kurumu, Mizore, Yukari, and Kiseki. This was the family he'd always dreamed of, he knew that for sure. And there was no place else for him to be than right here.

The chimera, as if sensing his true feelings, shook its head sadly. "I guess I didn't convince you. No matter. The other animal monsters will do fine without you, I'm sure… So now, I guess there's not choice but to… _attack you_?"

On the last two words, the chimera sprang forward and blasted everyone with a breath of fire. It was so bright (and so terribly hot) that it lit up the entire section of the tunnel. Any traces of loose pebbles or plant roots sticking out of the tunnel were obliterated.

Luckily, Tsukune and his friends were not seriously hurt. The fire the chimera set was almost exactly identical to the Yoko fox's fire; they were prepared for it (well, more so than last time with the Yoko monster, anyway).

The chimera looked strangely impressed that the group of travelers had survived. Slightly shaking its rump, the chimera bounded towards them instead.

Kurumu was delighted by this; she was superb at hand-to-hand combat. While the monster was charging towards her, her nails elongated and developed as her fiercest weapon. She tensed up her hand and flew at the chimera, attempting to slash its lion head off. The lion head was her main priority now; the other two heads she would worry about later.

The chimera seemed to sense her attack. The body dodged to the side with surprisingly quick speed, and while it did, the goat head part of the chimera stretched out and bumped Kurumu in the stomach. "Bumped" was putting it lightly; it head-butted Kurumu in her abdomen with its long, pointy goat horns. Kurumu's nails were pointy and sharp, of course, but it wasn't as strong as these goat horns.

With a gasp of both surprise and pain, Kurumu twisted to her side and flew off-course. She crash-landed near a pile of rubble, and her hand immediately went to her injured side. It took her a few seconds to realize that blood was flowing out of her wound.

"Are the goat horns poisonous?" she asked Yukari weakly.

"No," she answered, giving Kurumu a sympathetic look. "They're not poisonous. Only the snake venom is… and, of course, the lion's bite is fatal. As is its fire-breath."

Kurumu nodded weakly, sighing. She flinched as she got up, but still made her way towards her friends. She was determined to stop this chimera once and for all.

Meanwhile, the chimera was terrorizing the other people. Kiseki – with his superhuman speed – tried to give it a surprise-attack from the back, but the snake's jaw (replacing the lion's tail) clamped shut only millimetres away from Kiseki's neck. It seemed to have the speed of a cobra… and with deadly precision, too. Had Kiseki not been the vampire that he was, he would have already been dead.

The trouble with defeating this chimera was that it had three heads. This meant it had three times the defence, and three times the attack. The only way to beat this monster would be for everyone to attack it together, but even that was difficult, considering that the chimera had three heads, two horns, breathed fire, and spit venom.

Still, our group of travelers would not give up. Kiseki distracted the snake part of the chimera, weaving this way and that, preoccupying it. Kurumu took this chance to slice the snake's head off. With her extra-long nails, she didn't need to be too physically close to the snake's head to cut it off. Their plan had worked; the snake head fell down onto the ground with a thump, and while it was hissing only moments before, it no longer made any noises. Where the snake's body was before now rested a scaly stump of green, bloody snake flesh; it was quite disgusting.

The chimera roared in pain and spun around, blasting a wave of chimera fire into Kurumu and Kiseki's faces. Luckily, Kurumu wrapped herself up in her wings protectively at just the last moment. Kiseki, on the other hand, had no wings or cover to block the attack with; he tried running for it, and could only hold up one arm to cover himself. The chimera fire burnt his uniform, and while his vampire skin wasn't so heavily damaged, he did wince in pain.

"Kiseki, are you okay?" Moka cried, bounding towards him.

"Retreat for now, Kiseki!" Tsukune called from the other side of the chimera. "You've already helped Kurumu cut off one of its heads; rest for now!"

Kiseki really wasn't in too much pain, but he didn't argue. He obediently drew back along with Kurumu, and the two (having completed their part) left it to the others to finish the job.

The ones that were left were Yukari, Kenta, Tsukune, Moka, and Mizore. Tsukune and Moka (still untransformed) tried to physically wound and distract the chimera as much as possible, letting their other friends do the attacking. The reason for this was because they couldn't get too physically close with the creature; even though the snake tail was gone, it was still pretty deadly. Mizore and Yukari could conjure up magical weapons and injure the chimera with it, while they could not.

Regardless of that fact, however, Tsukune and Moka still did a lot of damage. One took care of the backside of the chimera (where the snake tail used to be) while the other took care of the front (where the lion head was). Tsukune would kick, punch, and battle with the chimera's rump, while Moka did much of the distracting at the front. This way, they allowed Mizore and Yukari the chance to attack at the chimera's sides… which they did.

Yukari called up her magical spell cards, and sent them flying through the air and slicing the horns off of the goat's head (so the chimera would not be able to use its goat head to head-butt anyone anymore). Although it did not necessarily cause the goat pain, it still angered the chimera. The lion's body twisted to the side (towards the side of the goat head) and tried to assess the damage. While it did this, Mizore seized the chance and sent a flurry of ice shards towards the chimera's side. They were successfully implanted in the chimera's fur, and it let out wails of fury.

They were almost done finishing off the monster; two heads ineffective, one more left to go.

The chimera, however, was much more wary now. It remained highly attentive and always on its guard, and kept bounding around and twisting this way and that to keep its eyes on its targets. It was more difficult than ever to find a chance to overtake this creature.

The one who actually took the initiative and attempted a brave feat was Kenta, surprisingly. He knew that with every passing moment, Kurumu and Kiseki's wounds would get worse; and with every passing moment, Ame could be in deeper danger. He had to get this over and done with, and fast.

So what did he do? This little half-dog-demon charged at the chimera – shifting into monster form mid-sprint – and leapt high into the air. Fortunately, this part of the tunnel had a high ceiling; there was plenty of room for Kenta to jump around in. He spun around in the air above the chimera and did a dive palms-first, claws-out at the chimera's face. Kenta's outstretched dog-demon claws came into contact with the lion head's eyes (not as superior as Kurumu's claws, but still). There was a nasty squishing sound as the pupils were crushed. Chimera blood spewed everywhere and the lion and goat's cries could be head echoing miles away into the tunnels.

However, even if the lion could not see, the goat could. And even if the goat couldn't see, the chimera would still be able to move.

Kenta did a back flip into the air and landed on the chimera's back. It tried to rear up and throw Kenta off, but Kenta quickly grabbed a hold of the goat's stubby horns (or what was left of them, anyway). He drove the chimera right into the rocky tunnel walls… which was pretty easy to do, considering that two of its heads could no longer see.

The chimera crashed into the tunnel wall and landed in a defeated heap onto the dirt floor. It twitched for two seconds, then stopped moving completely. It had finally been defeated.

Everyone (everyone else left alive, at least) in the tunnel was silent. They just stared at Kenta's unmoving back, not speaking a single word. There were many different thoughts going through people's minds right then, but almost everyone was stunned by Kenta. Not necessarily proud of him or happy for him, but shocked. How could Kenta, the sweet little "puppy" everyone had grown to love, be able to do something like this? Of course, they were happy that he had saved them, but no one saw this side of Kenta before.

Nobody moved; everyone waited for Kenta to make the first move. And he did. The hero of this level slowly turned around and gave his friends a faint smile.

Moka then walked up to him and hugged him tightly. Kurumu did the same thing, and almost everyone else followed up afterwards.

No one made inquiries about Kenta's actions, but he decided to explain a little bit anyway. He sniffled and smiled tiredly.

"I didn't want anyone else getting hurt," he said. "Kurumu and Kiseki were already injured, and Ame could be as well. That chimera wanted to take you guys – my only family – away from me, and I just couldn't take it… I was so determined to stop it." Then he grinned a bit. "I'm sorry if I scared you all… but I'm sure you've all seen and done a lot worse. I'll try not to be so violent next time."

Moka simply shook her head. Kurumu fondled with Kenta's dog ears, and said this: "Kenta, you did what was right. You can be as violent as you want next time… just make sure it's for the right reason."

"That's right," Tsukune agreed. "We're not upset at you or anything… In fact, I think this experience is good. We know each other a lot better now, and we all know what we are capable of – our strengths and weaknesses. This is a good thing."

Yukari nodded, giving Kent another hug. "You saved us today, Kenta! You're the hero of this level!"

Kenta, tired and dazed (and a little bit shaken, to tell the truth), smiled in satisfaction. His fluffy doggy tail wagged in pleasure before he slipped his dog tag back over his neck.

The seven friends had survived yet another level, and were now heading towards the next.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong>

Hey y'all!

So you might be a bit surprised at this new side of Kenta. But as this is an action manga/story/anime, what would one expect? It's not _too_ surprising, I'm sure.

Just a little side info, though…

Kenta had to do a lot to survive on his own when his mother abandoned him before. Countless times, he had to steal food to sustain himself, find shelter in the woods, and fend off rogue monsters he met along the way. I myself think this chapter is quite important because it exhibits a new side of the character we've never seen before. Kenta is not all about puppy-dog-eyes or tail-wagging! xP

Anyhoo, no more complicated/lengthy explanations! Please anticipate the next chapter… I swear it is going to be very entertaining and exciting. The Sixth Level makes it to my top favorite tunnel chapters! ;)

- ACookieZ


	37. Chapter 37: The Sixth Level

**Angel vs. Demon**

Chapter 37 – The Sixth Level

"I hope our next opponent won't take too much effort to defeat," Kurumu grumbled as they trudged along the through the tunnels. "I mean, that part-lion part-goat part-snake thing had me damn worn out!"

"Well, to be fair, you _are_ injured," Yukari reasoned, sighing. She stole a glance at Kurumu, who was still holding her side. Kurumu's wound was no longer bleeding now, though; it just felt like a cramp. That was all.

"But damn, you sure are healing fast compared to typical monsters," Kiseki commented, glancing at Kurumu as well. "How do succubi do it?"

"Well…" Kurumu tossed her ponytail over her shoulder, looking pleased with herself. "We do heal fast, you know. Especially incubi… Those are male, um, 'succubi'."

"I know why you heal fast!" Yukari said, smiling evilly. She had found her chance to poke fun at Kurumu once again. "It's not because of survival reasons… If it were that, then you would heal like a regular old human. You heal only because the wounds make you look bad… and you wouldn't be able to attract male monsters anymore! Succubi are _such_ conceited monsters…!"

"Oh, shut up!" Kurumu cried in indignation, blushing slightly. She elbowed Yukari in her side jokingly, and the two began bickering again.

"Shh, be quiet!" Kiseki hissed. "Someone might hear you! Sound travels in this tunnel, you know that?"

Kurumu pouted in displeasure. "Well then, Kiseki… Why so serious? You don't have to be so grumpy all the time, you know? You're such an old man!"

Yukari laughed out loud, looking back at Kiseki's offended expression from under the wide rim of her witch hat.

Poking fun at Kiseki was almost as fun as making fun of Kurumu… However, you would just need to be careful not to cross the line with Kiseki. You never know when you'd piss him off far enough… and no one knew what would happen if you did. Of course, many people had theories, but no one would dare to test them. There was no reason to, really… Kiseki was loyal, brave, and a very good fighter, even if he _was_ anti-social and slightly intimidating.

"Kiseki's right, actually," Moka confirmed, speaking firmly to Kurumu and Yukari. "We could be attacked any moment now…"

Kurumu rolled her eyes. "Oh, c'mon now, Moka…"

Kurumu was going to add to what she said, but she stopped abruptly. No, this wasn't another attack about to be launched on them; she didn't sense any threats coming their way. Kurumu stopped because she smelled something… a very alluring aroma.

"Do you smell that?" Yukari asked, sniffing the air.

Kenta coughed, his face scrunched up. "Oh yeah, I certainly smell it!"

Moka sniffed the air as well, feeling very suspicious. "It smells like roses… no, like perfume."

"It smells… good," Mizore commented, surprising herself. Just what could smell so good down here in the deep dark tunnels?

Tsukune disagreed. "It doesn't smell too good, actually."

Before the friends could get into a possible argument (about whether the scent smelled good or not), a glittering, shining, practically glowing figure revealed itself up ahead.

Yukari, Moka, Kurumu, and Mizore gasped. The handsomest creature they'd ever seen was straight ahead, leaning against the rocky dirt walls of the tunnels. He had high, arched eyebrows, a handsome fair face, dark eyes framed with long lashes, blond hair, and a defined nose and chin. This male monster (of course they knew it was a monster) lit up the dark underground (figuratively, of course; he didn't actually "glow" or "glitter" or anything like that)… he looked like he did not belong here. He was simply too gorgeous to be underground in the dungeon tunnels like this, facing a team of grimy, weary travelers.

"Wh-Who's he…?" Yukari whispered, unable to take her eyes off of him. It wasn't that she _wanted_ to admire him like this (she wasn't _that_ unfaithful); it was that she physically could not look away from him. His entire body radiated attractiveness and demanded attention. Yukari could sense the other girls staring at him too… just boring holes into his body with their eyes.

"U-Uh…" Mizore couldn't answer coherently. Her fair, ice-cold cheeks were tinged with pink, and she nervously sucked on her lollipop.

Moka wasn't that much better. She was frowning in confusion, her full lips open slightly, as if trying to figure out why he was so good-looking.

Surprisingly, the usually flirty, physical Kurumu was the only one who didn't seem impressed by him. Instead, she had her eyes narrowed (instead of wide open like the other girls), and was staring at him with suspicion.

Kenta, Kiseki, and Tsukune stood in the sidelines watching awkwardly. They didn't know how to react to this sudden situation. The man leaning against the wall wasn't attacking them at all, and was posing no threat as of yet, so they couldn't be overprotective and attack him right away… but he wasn't exactly pleading for help, either, so they couldn't approach him. The mysterious creature wasn't saying anything just then, so they had no idea what to think of him. He might be attractive, sure, but as males themselves, Kiseki Kenta and Tsukune could not judge effectively. They simply did no know what to think of this new character.

The striking figure held a single rose in between his teeth, and had his eyebrows risen seductively. He finally made a move; he took the rose out from his mouth and smiled crookedly, hardly showing any teeth. He then walked casually towards the girls.

Kiseki, Tsukune, and Kenta tensed visibly, waiting for any hint of attack. They would not hesitate to strike back this time. The strange monster did not attack, though… he walked towards them, unguarded and vulnerable. He approached the girls, and held out the single rose to them.

Mizore, Kurumu, Moka, and Yukari did not know how to react to this. Were they supposed to accept the rose? And if they were, which one of them would take it?

The man solved this problem for them. With a swish of his hand, the single rose had magically transformed into four red roses. He then proceeded to give each girl a red rose, and then stepped back and bowed dramatically.

Yukari was blushing, as was Mizore. Moka looked flattered, and Kurumu just looked confused. She studied the rose, as if trying to figure out where it came from and how it magically materialized out of thin air.

"The name's Zane," the handsome man said, smiling.

"Zane…" Mizore savoured the sound of his name on her lips.

"Zane…" Yukari repeated, her eyes shining. She already looked like she was ready to follow him home.

"Zane…" Moka sighed dreamily, clutching the rose to her chest.

"Zane." Kurumu spat, scrunching her nose at him.

Tsukune looked so helpless and confused it was almost comical. He opened his mouth and closed it, and opened and closed it again. He was struggling to find the right words to intervene with.

Finally, it was Kiseki who spoke for the male group. "What do you want, _Zane_?"

"Me?" Zane asked innocently. "Why, I just followed my heart; it led me to these beautiful, attractive ladies over here."

The girls swooned dramatically. Zane smiled.

Kiseki shook his head in disgust. "Well, if you don't mind, we'll be leaving. We have another 'beautiful, attractive' girl to find, for your information…"

"Oh, really?" Zane's eyebrow rose; he was interested. "If it's not asking too much, I'd like to come along."

"You are _not_ invited!" Kenta almost shouted, his fists tightly clenched at his sides. For some reason, he did not like this Zane guy very much… and his doggy instincts were rarely wrong. "We're going to find our friend, and you're not coming with us."

Zane looked heartbroken. "That's a shame… Hmm. Well, if I can't come along, at least let your beautiful women here accompany me for a while, won't you?"

Tsukune almost choked. On what, he did not know. "You want to let us _what_?" He looked at Yukari, Kurumu, Mizore, and Moka, his eyes wide in disbelief. "You guys wouldn't want to go with him, would you?"

Yukari, Mizore, Moka, and Kurumu looked indecisive. They frowned and looked down, unable to decide.

It might have been a trick of the mind, but Kiseki swore he felt something radiate through the tunnel. It was invisible, and he knew he could not touch it, but he knew that something definitely passed from Zane to the girls.

"Why, of course we'd go!" Yukari suddenly exclaimed, her eyes hazy.

"We'd love to," Mizore added, her lollipop almost dropping out of her mouth.

Moka's mouth twitched, but eventually she complied too. "Yes, we'll come with you…"

Kurumu didn't say anything, but Zane didn't seem to notice. He nodded in satisfaction, clearly pleased with the results.

"Did you hear them, gentlemen?" Zane asked, not expecting an answer. "I guess I'll be taking them with me."

"Oh no you won't!"

To everyone's surprise, it wasn't one of the guys who said this. It was Kurumu, and she announced this loud and clear, without any hint of uncertainty.

Zane narrowed his eyes at her, his lips pursed. "Why not?"

Kurumu flew into the air, fully shifted. Her succubus wings sprouted out from her back, and her perfect, deadly nails shone visibly in the dim tunnel. She charged at Zane, her lips twisting in distaste.

"Why not?" she echoed as she flew at him. "Because you're a shady, untrustworthy incubus, that's why!"

She tried to slash at him with her claws, but he dodged them neatly. He didn't try to transform, though… he simply evaded her in his human form.

Kurumu and Zane wrestled for a few long minutes, but neither of them could land a punch or kick. In the end, though, Kurumu had him tackled to the ground. She perched on top of him, preventing him from getting up. Zane hardly looked worried, though; his cool, composed, self-confident face did not change.

"How did you know?" he asked calmly, looking up at Kurumu.

Kurumu rolled her eyes. "I knew something was weird with you from the beginning… especially when the other girls started swooning over you like there was no tomorrow."

"Yeah," Zane realized, frowning in distaste. "You weren't affected…"

"I'm a succubus, that's why!" Kurumu answered simply, her tail flicking. "A succubus…"

"A powerful, gorgeous, stunning succubus," Zane added, smiling shamelessly at her. Kurumu briefly made a face at him before promptly slapping him across the cheek. The red mark stung, but Zane refused to show any weakness.

"Why so serious?" Zane demanded; his eyebrows rose at Kurumu. With a jolt, Kurumu realized that she had just said earlier to Kiseki.

"You know, it's wonderful that you're a succubus," Zane continued, "We'll be a perfect match for each other, don't you think?"

Kurumu's jaw dropped open. "No!" she objected, "Where'd you get that idea?! I don't even know you!"

"Okay, listen," Zane began, closing his eyes. "I'm not going to hurt any one of you. Especially the ladies. I'm a gentleman, you know? Gentlemen don't do that. So you don't have to be afraid of me at all! I know those other monsters were placed here to assassinate you and all, but I'm not going to… I actually want to protect you. You're all accomplished, beautiful, gorgeous women, you know that…? Why would I want any of you to be hurt? I wish for you all to be happy! So if you come with me, I won't have to kill you… I'll just tell my superiors that I already dealt with you all, and you can all come back with me. No one would be the wiser."

Kurumu trembled. She didn't know how to answer. She was so furious, she couldn't think of anything to say. "You…"

Zane smiled. "What?"

In answer, Kurumu raised her clawed hand. She pointed her nails at Zane's chest, and was going to plunge it into his heart and kill him. Before she could, however, Moka, Mizore, and Yukari ran up to her. They tried to put themselves in between Kurumu and Zane, and attempted to stop her.

"Don't hurt him!" Yukari cried, her eyes still glassy.

Mizore's cool, blue eyes were especially cold just then as well. "Why are you trying to kill my future husband? If you hurt him, I swear I will kill you…"

Moka hesitated, but she protested all the same. "Don't do this, Kurumu. He said he wants to protect us!"

Kurumu's jaw dropped open in disbelief. She couldn't take any more of this.

"Tsukune!" she yelled, closing her eyes warily. "Kiseki, Kenta… Please, come here and take them away from me. I can't deal with Zane with them interfering."

"Why don't I just deal with Zane for you?" Kiseki offered, cracking his knuckles.

Kurumu shook her head. "No thanks… this is a battle I have to fight myself. I can't let him give our kind a bad name, after all."

Without a word, Kiseki, Kenta, and Tsukune came up to drag the girls off of Zane. Moka shook her head and protested, and Yukari flailed her arms and kicked, but the guys' grips were stronger than that. Mizore, looking like she was being forced into a corner, turned her hands into her large ice claws. She waved them at Kiseki's face (who was holding her).

"If you don't let me go right this second, I will hurt you," Mizore threatened, her blank eyes glaring at him. Kiseki looked extremely pissed off, but refrained from snapping back at her. Instead, he kept a tighter grip on her. Mizore struggled and fought, determined to get back to her beloved Zane.

Yukari started to do the same. She bucked and twisted this way and that in Kenta's embrace, wacking him in the head with her wand. Kenta whimpered as her hard wand came into contact with his delicate little doggy ears, but did not complain.

Moka did not seem to want to hurt Tsukune, but even she began to step on Tsukune's feet. She cried out insistently, and with each passing minute, the pained expression on Tsukune's face grew worse. Not from being physically hurt, though… Tsukune felt a different kind of pain.

"Please, Kurumu," Tsukune begged. "Get it over with already…"

"It won't matter," Zane grinned, turning his head to look into Tsukune's eyes. "It'll still be too late. Do you see what happened? With just my simple spell, I have the girls willing to give their lives to save me. Your so-called 'friendship' or 'bond' or whatever doesn't mean anything now! It's so weak it was broken with a single try."

"That's not true!" Kurumu cried indignantly, a furious look on her face. "You-"

It was at that moment that Zane sprang up from underneath Kurumu and up into the air. He transformed too, and soon there were two winged, tailed, long-nailed creatures inside the tunnel. Zane's wings were a different shade than Kurumu's (and a little bit bigger), and his tail was longer, but his nails weren't as sharp. He was strong and quick, but Kurumu was agile and flexible. The two faced off in the tunnel; an intense atmosphere developed around them.

Kurumu came at Zane with her razor-sharp nails, but he dodged under her and grabbed for her unprotected tail. He pulled at it, dragged it upwards, and used it to fling Kurumu up into the ceiling of the tunnel. Kurumu smacked into the rocky surface, then gravity took over and she collapsed into a heap onto the ground.

"You know," Zane said, studying his nails, "it's not too late to change your mind and become my wife. The other fine ladies can wait in line to be my concubines…!"

Kurumu coughed up a little bit of blood, but she growled and stood up shakily nonetheless. She wiped her sleeve across her mouth.

"Marry you?" she laughed, coughing. "I'd never even consider it, even if you were the last monster – the last _thing_ – on Earth."

Zane clenched his teeth in annoyance, then charged at Kurumu. She had gotten him angry, and one can never fight efficiently when angry. He clumsily tried to punch her across the face, but Kurumu ducked and kicked him in the stomach. He uttered a grunt and winced, but was not too badly hurt. Still, Kurumu would not give him a rest. She gave it everything she got; she came at him, jabbed at him with her nails, and fought him until there wasn't an ounce of energy left in her anymore.

Zane, beaten up pretty badly, collapsed on the ground on his back, bruised, battered, and panting. He wasn't dead yet, but he was extremely weak. Because of this fact, his power/"hold" over Moka and the others were reduced. They got their normal, bright looks back into their eyes, and seemed confused as to why they were being held captive in the arms of their friends.

Kurumu dusted her hands off. "My work here is done," she announced in a wary voice. In response, Kenta bounded up to her and wrapped his hands around her waist.

"You were amazing!" he declared, grinning happily. "You sure showed that conceited incubus!"

Kurumu smiled in return, gently patting Kenta's head. Of course, she'd never admit to any of her friends' faces, but she would never let anything hurt them; no one could lay a single finger on them, as far as she was concerned. The protectiveness she felt over her best friends only increased with the defeat of the sketchy incubus, and their friendship deepened with this experience. Kurumu had proven to Zane that their bond could not be severed, and she felt extremely proud of herself.

Meanwhile, Moka, Mizore, and Yukari were pestering Tsukune.

"What happened, Tsukune?" Moka asked, shaking his arm.

"Yeah, how come I don't remember anything?" Yukari demanded, worried. "What if I forgot something important?"

"Tell us," Mizore implored.

Tsukune looked very awkward, and couldn't seem to explain to them how they were all over Zane. He couldn't find the right words to phrase it.

"You, uh, the guy called Zane, um…"

Kurumu smiled, and shook her head. She sighed. _What are we going to do with you, Tsukune? You never change. But I'm glad of that fact…_

Satisfied, she joined her group of friends. They were together again, and they were ready to continue on their journey once again.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong>

Hiii~!

I hope this chapter was entertaining for you all, hahaha. Zane sure was something, wasn't he? xD

I was wondering what would happen if Kurumu met another succubus (or in this case, an incubus), and yeah… I doubt she'd appreciate him hitting on her at all. Or any of her friends, LOL.

Well, 3 more chapters to go for the "underground tunnel" scenes! Who else is counting here...? ;)

- ACookieZ


	38. Chapter 38: The Seventh Level

**Angel vs. Demon**

Chapter 38 – The Seventh Level

"You know," Mizore mumbled, sucking on her lollipop, "I kind of feel bad killing all these monsters."

"Why?" Kenta asked, his head slightly cocked to the side. "They tried to kill us first!"

"Yeah, but they had no choice," Moka answered, thinking hard. "Someone – their superior, I'm guessing – made them empty promises, and lied to them. That person gave them what they thought was a legitimate reason to hurt us… does that make sense?"

"That doesn't make them completely innocent, though," Kiseki added. "And it won't matter even if they were; either way, we'd still have to fight them. But that kind of makes me feel bad for the less fortunate, the less evil ones."

"True," Kenta agreed after a while. "I could kill a chimera, but I'd never hurt a little girl!"

"Speaking of little girls…" Tsukune stopped short, halting in his steps. "Are you all seeing what I'm seeing right now…?"

"Hmm?" Everyone turned to look where Tsukune was pointing. There, around the bend in the tunnel, was a little girl. A little girl crouching, to be precise.

Because of the dark lighting in the tunnels and the shrunken, squatted figure of the child, you could hardly notice her. If someone passed by fast enough, she'd look like a small boulder or a really big rock. Her long dark hair reached down to her waist, covering half of her figure, so that didn't help either. The little girl was shrouded in the darkness; the group of travelers only assumed it was a girl because of the long hair. Even they didn't know for sure.

Moka looked at her friends one by one, analyzing their expression. She wanted to know what they were planning to do, but their expressions were as puzzled and clueless as hers was. Finally, she decided to take action and make the first move.

"Hello…?" Moka called gently, slowly approaching the girl. "Are you okay?"

The little girl didn't answer. Her head was still bent, she was still crouched, and her hair still covered half of her body; she didn't budge an inch.

Moka cleared her throat awkwardly and tried again. "Um… What's the matter? What are you doing bent over here all by yourself?"

Still, the girl made no reply. Moka was beginning to think there was something wrong with her (whether it was that she was mute, deaf, or injured)… when she suddenly twitched. The girl had moved! She twitched, then began to tremble uncontrollably. Moka – who was the closest to her – even heard faint mumbling sounds coming from her as the girl rocked back and fourth on her heels in her crouched position, still shivering.

Now, Moka was sure that something was wrong. The others began to notice too.

"She must've gotten lost and stuck down here or something," Kurumu whispered, a hand covering her mouth. "I mean, she must be starving, isolated, and who-knows-what-else… Moka, you best stay away from her for now. You don't want her to attack you."

But Moka knew this already; she was not so easily fooled. Although she felt sympathetic for the girl, she knew that she could be potentially dangerous. She had to be on the safe side and back off for now.

The group of friends waited for what seemed like an eternity, but still the little girl did not move. She just shivered and rocked back and forth slightly, mumbling all the while. It was impossible to know what she was doing or what she was thinking, so all they could do was wait.

Finally, Kurumu couldn't take it anymore.

"Okay, look guys," she said quietly in an impatient voice, "she's not doing anything. Can we just quietly pass her and move on? We're wasting time here!"

After a moment's hesitation, Tsukune nodded. It was true; the little girl didn't seem to be doing anything; they couldn't help her. And the longer the waited here, the more time they'd waste. The smart thing to do was to try to evade her and avoid personal confrontation. They had to continue on their way.

"Let's go to the right," Moka whispered, her hand touching the wall. "Try to walk as quietly as possible and pass her without accidentally kicking her in the head or anything like that… please."

Yukari snorted quietly at this, but Kenta nodded his head in completely seriousness. The group of friends hugged the wall and proceeded to tip-toe past the crazy little girl. The entire time they were talking, she did not notice them whatsoever. She just continued shivering, huddled there on the ground. It was like she was possessed or something… it was eerie to watch.

The scarier thing – perhaps, the scariest – was when Tsukune (leading the travelers in passing the little girl) just stepped his one toe past the little girl. He was nowhere near her, not touching her at all, but as soon as he passed her "invisible line", she snapped. The girl's head swung up, and from beneath the dark hair that draped her face, the girl's dark, empty, hollow eyes stared at Tsukune.

He felt her dark, disturbing, scary power even before she struck. He had time only to widen his eyes for a millisecond before she sprang up and pounced on him. And no, she did not do so in a feline or sexual way at all… she did so with the agility and carelessness of a five-year-old. She simply charged at him and attacked his arm, securing her teeth around his forearm and chomping down.

"Aaah!" Tsukune yelled in surprise. He tried to shake the girl off, but she just held on even tighter. She was beginning to draw blood, and Tsukune's friends could see the dark red liquid spreading across his school uniform.

Kurumu and Moka took the girl's arm and started pulling her away, and they eventually got her hands away from Tsukune. She simply bit down harder, though, and Tsukune uttered a groan of pain. But she was still just a little girl; no one could find it in themselves to physically wound her. Yukari, however, couldn't take it anymore; she waved her wand, and a brass bin appeared out of nowhere and bonked the crazy girl on the head.

She shrieked (whether from shock or pain, no one knew), but she did let go. She scuttled down near the depths of the tunnel, and kept on mumbling to herself. She looked like she was shivering from the cold, and mumbling from the hunger… but Tsukune knew that was not the case. Although she wore nothing but a tattered, holey, dirty white robe, she did not act like she was feeling the least bit cold. And although she kept clutching at herself and even tried to eat his arm, Tsukune knew that she was not hungry. Her stomach did not growl, and she looked naturally scrawny. She seemed more in need of a good sleep than a decent meal, truthfully.

The girl was twitching visibly now, and she kept staring at Tsukune and his friends. It was beyond disturbing.

"Ouch," Tsukune muttered, looking down at his wound.

"I hope it's not infected," Mizore said, "Who knows? That girl could have rabies. She certainly seems crazy enough."

"I wonder if she talks," Moka murmured, bandaging Tsukune's wound with a ripped part of his shirt. They had brought no First-Aid Kit or anything like that; there was just no need to do that for monsters. Either the injury was not that serious and would heal in a moment, or the injury was beyond self-repair and needed to be checked out at the monster infirmary. There were hardly any in-betweens.

"Hey," Yukari chirped, crouching down to the girl's level. She was still a good few meters away from her, but she knew that by doing this the girl would feel less intimidated. "Hi, there. We're not here to hurt you… I promise that. We just want to pass this tunnel. Is that OK? Can you let us go?"

"Mmmmuuhhh…" the girl moaned, her face hardly seen through her mass of hair. "Kkkkuuuuuuuuu…"

"We don't want you to attack us, OK? No more biting! We just want to leave."

"Nnnnhhh…" the girl trembled, her jaw quivering. She looked like she was working up the courage (and the ability) to speak properly. "Nnnnnooo."

Yukari straightened up, frowning. "No?"

"No." the girl repeated. "No…!"

"Why-" Before Yukari could finish, the girl put her hands up in front of her. She began mumbling again, this time very loudly. No, she didn't mumble; she chanted and recited strange words at the top of her lungs.

Moka gasped. "This child…"

Indeed, this child. There was obviously something strange about her. A black mist rose up from the tunnel grounds and swirled around her short body, immersing her in darkness. The darkness began to spread; it no longer coiled around her tiny body. It snaked along the ground and seeped into the earth, like a black mist.

"What's happening?" Kurumu cried, clearly frightened.

Yukari was scowling. "I don't know… but we need to get out of here _fast_!"

The group of friends tried to run. They sprinted away from the girl, and to their surprise, the girl did not come after them. She just kept on chanting. And the black mist just kept on seeping. It chased after them tirelessly.

"Hey, what the-!"

Suddenly, the ground started trembling. It started out as a light shudder, but then it turned into a full-blown quake. Tsukune and his companions could no longer run without falling flat on their faces; they tried to balance themselves out and keep still.

All at once, hands popped out of the ground. Boned, skinless, fleshless skeleton hands… tens and tens of them burst out into the open, many of them in front of Moka and her friends. They were blocking their way.

"What's this!" Mizore gasped in alarm, her lollipop almost dropping out of her mouth. "How come there's-?"

"Oh no," Yukari cried, her face turning pale. "I didn't think – I thought they were all extinct…"

"_What_, Yukari?" Kurumu snapped, her voice climbing up nervously. "_What's_ all extinct?"

"Necromancers!"

"Necromancers…?"

Yukari nodded jerkily. "They're humans with supernatural powers… they can call up the dead. Speak to them, communicate with them, whichever… necromancers can basically control the dead."

"Oh my God," Kenta remarked, his mouth forming a perfect "O". "That's…"

"Rare," Kiseki finished for him. He was staring at the little girl, unlike the rest of his companions (who were busy staring at the skeleton hands protruding out from the ground) and was studying her. He analyzed her every movements, taking every little detail into consideration.

He was still doing so when the skeletons began to climb out of the ground. Some of them, they realized, still had some flesh on them… it was truly a gruesome sight. Their tattered clothes hung off of them in pieces (as did their flesh), and some of them were even wearing Yokai Academy uniforms! Kurumu prayed and hoped that she and her friends would not end up like that.

"Wh-What do we do…?" Kenta asked nervously, backing away from the undead. The group of friends were forced to go back-to-back as they were pushed away from their original destination.

"What do we do?" Moka echoed. "We'll have to fight them, of course."

"All right…!" Tsukune said so with gusto, clutching his still-bloody arm. He would not let his team-mates be terrified; he would protect them all. Tsukune suddenly felt another warm body pressing into his back. He twisted his neck around to look, and it was Kiseki.

"I got your back," he said, smiling crookedly. Tsukune smiled appreciatively in return, and the two (along with everyone else) charged at their dead enemies.

Kurumu sliced many into pieces with her claws, and Kenta jumped on several, crushing them into bits. Yukari kept on plonking big brass bins onto their heads, and Mizore froze as many as she could. Moka, Tsukune, and Kiseki did the hand-to-hand combat, and also succeeded in destroying many.

What the friends did not expect, though, was their enemies' revival.

None of the dead were "dead" for too long; some revived later than others, and many revived almost instantly. Those ones crawled forward on their mangled bodies, slow as a turtle, but still determined to destroy its targets.

"What the hell?" cried Kurumu, backing up nervously. "I swear I already cut those zombies in half!"

"You did," Kiseki murmured, staring at them intently. "But… hmm. They seem to have revived. No, strike that… they can't revive, because they're still _dead_. They just can't stop moving. Or, technically, they can't stop following the girl's commands."

"Commands?" Tsukune glanced at the frail, tiny, twitching girl near the back of the tunnel. "She's the one doing all this?"

"Of course!" Yukari exclaimed, "Kiseki's right… the girl's commanding the zombies to kill us, and even if they're injured or dead, they'll still obey that command until they physically can't anymore."

"That's…" Mizore looked for the right word. "… gruesome."

"Very," Moka agreed, looking sick as she stared at the moving corpses all around her. They were closing in, inch by inch.

"Oh well," Kurumu shrugged, extending her claws once more. "Then we'll just have to make sure they physically can't move anymore, right?"

She began spinning, twirling, and leaping through the mass of crawling zombies. As she did so, her nails sliced every zombie head, every zombie limb, and possibly every zombie bone in half. She reduced them till there was nothing more left. By the time she was done that first wave of zombies, she was panting and sweating, heaving her breaths in and out.

The necromancer girl was unfazed. She muttered some more, and a new wave of zombies rose out from the ground at her command. These countless corpses couldn't be defeated; they'd just appear wave after wave. There was no getting rid of them completely.

"Oh no," Kurumu groaned, staring at the new wave of zombies. "Look at this…"

Kiseki shook his head lightly. "This is obviously not the way to deal with the problem. Who knows how many corpses are down here? We could be stuck here forever, just fighting these zombies endlessly."

"You're right," Yukari agreed, pulling her witch hat down lower over her face. "The only way to end this is to… deal with the necromancer behind all the zombies. We have to get to the root of the problem."

So, instead of charging at the zombies and spending all their efforts on overcoming them, they attacked them only to sweep them aside, when they got in their way; they only spent their main efforts on reaching the necromancer behind all the layers of walking corpses.

The little girl's huge black eyes widened when she saw that her zombie army wasn't holding her enemies back. Her mouth opened slightly, but she made no noise; instead, she cowered and backed away slowly, even deeper down into the tunnels.

Tsukune reached the girl first. He bounded up to her and tackled her to the ground (lightly, of course; Tsukune was a gentleman after all). He wiggled till he got behind her and grabbed a hold of her wrists, making sure she couldn't scratch or punch him. Her feet were still free, though; out of desperation, she kicked behind her and lashed out at Tsukune's shin. He let out a high-pitched grunt, but otherwise held on.

"What do I do with her now?" he asked, looking up at his friends.

Moka opened her mouth, but then closed it again. Normally, they'd dispose of their enemies and make sure that they were either unconscious or unable to pursue them, but this little girl was wide awake and still kicking. To defeat her would have meant to knock her out somehow, and although the girl had some problems and fought viciously, she was still a little girl. Knocking her unconscious would have been a bit much.

"Do you have a rope of some sort or something?" Yukari asked out loud, bonking her wand into a zombie that was uncomfortably close. "We could tie her up to some rock or something and make sure she stayed still enough for us to escape!"

"Good idea…" Kurumu murmured, nodding.

"No!" Surprising everyone, the little girl growled this out loud. "You chain me up, I will send my zombies after you!"

Mizore bit her lip. They were probably too soft-hearted, but not one of them could kill this little necromancer with their bare hands.

However, the group of travellers took too long to decide. Out of nowhere –

"Oh no!" Kenta exclaimed wildly, "Look out-!"

Mizore turned just in time to see a zombie's clawed hand come at her stomach. It was like slow-motion to her, though; Mizore dodged that attack easily. She shifted to one side, letting the zombie's rotten, yellow-nailed claws slice through thin air.

It didn't, however. Little did Mizore know that the little necromancer girl was right behind her; while she dodged that attack, Tsukune still held the girl in place. The zombie's hand zeroed in on the girl's chest, and it pierced through her flesh. The necromancer's plan had backfired; the zombie didn't get Mizore, it got _her_ instead.

Tsukune was still holding the little girl from behind, and blood splattered across his face and hair while the zombie's hand stabbed through the girl's chest. Eyes wide open and face in shock, Tsukune did not let the girl go until she slid down, body limp, and crumpled to the ground. Because the puppeteer was now dead, the zombies all collapsed where they were standing.

Tsukune blinked for a few moments, then gave a tired, tiny, slightly psychotic smile. "Well, that sure answered our question about what to do, doesn't it?" He bent down and turned the girl's dead body over. She had her eyes wide open, but she was no longer twitching. While she had been constantly shivering while she was alive, she no longer did so in her death.

Tsukune reached down and covered the necromancer's eyes with his hand, and slowly closed them. Then, he stood up and let out a big breath of air.

"Well, my friends, let's continue on our way, shall we?"

No one spoke or argued. They understood that Tsukune did not wish to talk about the dead necromancer, so they quietly walked on. Mizore did have a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach, though; she _had_ dodged that attack, which led to the girl's death.

She shook her head, though. She knew that they couldn't afford thinking about these things, not when there were still more opponents to defeat. She reminded herself that she had to be tough, and stay strong for the rest of them. With a deep breath, she followed the rest of the gang as they continued to trudge through the dark tunnels.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong>

Hey y'all! I hope you enjoyed this chapter. :)

So yes, this one was sort of different. You have to ask yourself, after all: what if my opponent didn't deserve to die? That was kind of the basis for this chapter: feeling bad for your enemies.

Aaanyway, only two more levels to go! I hope you're all as excited about this as I am… x) Favorite and Review and all that good stuff!

- ACookieZ


	39. Chapter 39: The Eighth Level

**Angel vs. Demon**

Chapter 39 – The Eighth Level

"I think it's gotten a lot later," Kenta commented, huffing as he trudged through the tunnels. "Like, a _long_ time has passed…"

"Duh," Yukari replied, rolling her eyes at him. Kenta wiggled his nose in annoyance, but proceeded to explain himself.

"No, I mean, I feel it getting late. The-" All of a sudden, Kenta's stomach growled noisily. He clasped a hand over it, embarrassed.

"Ah, so that's how you knew it was getting late!" Kurumu teased him, raising her eyebrows and grinning. "Your little doggie stomach's hungry, huh?"

Kenta blushed, shaking his head. "Nope! If you're not hungry, then I'm not hungry. But no, seriously, I think it's getting really late. Is it just me, or does it seem to be getting darker?"

Kenta's friends paused and stood silently as they appraised their surroundings. What Kenta said was right; the tunnels were getting darker. This was very suspicious, because there was no sunlight, windows, electricity, or any artificial light underground; the lighting down there in the tunnels should have been consistent and stayed the same. What on Earth could have made it change?

"That's weird…" Moka squinted, trying to see clearly in the growing darkness. "This can't be…"

"Ok," Kurumu announced, her voice climbing up a few octaves. "Not to scare anyone even more, but I'm just a _liiittle_ bit frightened…!"

Kiseki narrowed his eyes; not from the darkness, but from suspicion. Suddenly, he yelled out loud a single command: "Everyone! Hug the walls and stick close together!"

"Wait, wha-?"

Right after the last word left Kiseki's mouth, the tunnel went completely dark. There was not a single light coming from anywhere; it was like someone trapped you in a coffin and buried you deep underground. It was that dark.

Kurumu gulped noisily in the dark. "Um, guys, I'm kinda worried… I think I'm holding my hand up to my face, but I can't see it."

It wasn't completely her fault, but Kurumu now had everyone panicking. Kenta began whimpering, and Yukari was busy trying to find her hat that she'd dropped on the ground in the dark. Thanks to Kiseki's order before, though, everyone was fairly close together and hugging the walls; Moka reached out her hands and could feel her friends nearby.

Tsukune gave out further instructions. "Stay close, everyone! This might sound weird, but be within touching distance. Hold someone's hands if you need to!"

"Or you can just grab onto their clothing," Kiseki muttered, clearly uncomfortable with the fact that he had to hold hands with anyone.

Tsukune nodded, but then remembered that no one could see him in the dark. "Right," he said, clearing his throat. "Or you can do that."

"Well, what do we do now?" Mizore asked. "Do we continue walking, or do we wait till it gets lighter?"

"Hmm…" Moka pondered this, then snapped her fingers. "Oh, wait! Yukari, didn't you bring a flashlight before?"

"Yeah!" Kurumu exclaimed, her voice suddenly back to normal. "Oh my gosh, you're a genius! Use it now!"

Yukari, her hat back on her head, reached for her bag. Rummaging around inside it (which was especially difficult, given the darkness), her hand emerged with a flashlight. She held it up in the air in triumph, and then remembered that no one could see her. Her hand sank back down again, and she cleared her throat in embarrassment; that kind of ruined the moment for her.

"All right, here we go!" Yukari turned the flashlight on, and she heard the click of the switch as she pressed the button, but no light came out. Heart pounding, she tried this again... still with the same result. Worried now, she turned the switch on and off furiously for a few more times, but there was still no light.

"Oh wow, are you kidding me," Mizore said, shaking her head. "Is it seriously broken?"

"I don't know," Yukari mumbled, her voice quiet. "I swear I had it fully charged when I took it with me, so it can't be out of batteries…"

"Then it must be broken."

Yukari said: "Hold on a second." She switched the flashlight's position in her hands and felt towards the front of the device; the transparent, circular plastic part that allowed light to pass through. She felt around the edges, and then – with a sharp cry of pain – drew her hand back.

"What happened?" Kiseki asked in alarm.

"Ouch, it seems like the plastic was broken. I kinda poked my finger with the shark edges…" Yukari sighed, giving up. "It seems like it really is broken."

"Hey, what about you?" Tsukune asked.

"What do you mean, what about me?"

"Aren't you a witch?" Tsukune inquired. "Ok, that was a bad question. I meant, you could use your powers to create a fire or a torch or some sort of light or something! We can use that to escape."

"Oh, right!" Kurumu slapped her forehead. "Why didn't I think of that before?"

Yukari gnawed at her bottom lip, unable to explain how it really was. She tried, anyways. "I'm not _that_ kind of witch, you know. There are certain types of witches that have certain strengths and stuff. I'm good with cards, like how Ruby's good with spellbooks. I'm not an element witch, or anything like that. How do I explain this… I'll need something to fuel me – like an aid or something – if I'm going to make a fire. It won't be easy."

The group of friends sighed heavily together.

"Well, I guess we can continue to walk," Tsukune proposed, "We'll just hug the walls and walk along it. We'll reach our destination at some point, right?"

"But what if we come across a fork in the tunnel?" Moka reminded him, an eyebrow raised. "How do we know which way to go – or even which way to turn – if we can't even see?"

"Plus I'm kind of scared," Kurumu murmured, clutching at Tsukune's arm. "Can we just… sit here?"

"And do what?" Kiseki demanded. "Just sit here and wait? What about Ame? The longer we take, the more danger she could be in!"

Kurumu patted his arm gingerly. "Alright, alright… Sheesh, I was kidding. But really, what can we do now? We can use our monster senses to see in the dark a little and sense our surroundings and stuff, but that only goes to some extent. Like, it all feels the same down here in the tunnels… we're obviously gonna get lost very soon."

Kiseki said nothing; he knew she was right. They couldn't afford to waste time by waiting here in the dark, but what else could they do…?

Suddenly, out of the blue, the tunnel lit up with a bright light. It wasn't like the normal lighting underground that the friends were used to; this light was like staring straight at the sun. It was blazing white, and it filled the whole tunnel.

Kenta cried out in pain as his eyes were half-blinded, and even Kiseki gasped. The group of friends shielded their eyes with their hands as they willed their eyes to adjust faster.

"What's this all about?" Yukari demanded, still squinting. "Why did it suddenly get so bright?"

"My eyes are sensitive," Kenta whimpered.

People continued complaining, and the commotion grew louder. It wasn't until Mizore pointed something out that the group quieted.

"Guys, what's that over there?"

Her friends turned to look at where she was pointing, and they saw a shadow at the front of the tunnel (where they had to cross). That was it – just a shadow. No figure making the shadow, no silhouette of a person, no physical body. The shadow just resided on the wall of the tunnel, and it didn't move.

"What's making the shadow?" Tsukune asked, cocking his head in confusion.

"I think we'd all like to know that," Kiseki replied unhelpfully. But he still considered the question. "Maybe…"

"It's a new kind of monster?" Kenta suggested. "It could be the monster for this level!"

"Probably…" Yukari agreed, thinking. "But the question is, how are we supposed to fight a shadow?"

That got everyone stumped.

Kiseki decided to continue what he said before. "Maybe-"

Before he could finish, however, the tunnel turned dark again. It went completely black, just like before. The light that seemed to come from nowhere had disappeared, the shadow along with it. The group of friends groaned again, once more stuck in the dark.

Kurumu made a decision: "Ok, the next time that the light comes back, we're making a run for it. We have to use that opportunity to continue on our journey!"

"You're right," Mizore agreed, "but what about the shadow that we just saw? Plus we don't even know if the light's going to come back!"

"It's just a shadow," Moka confirmed confidently. "If we can't harm or attack it, then it can't do anything to us either. And the light will come on, probably… if it doesn't we'll just think of another solution."

The travellers sank into a deep silence again, waiting for the next blazing light to hit. And it didn't hit for a while; no one knew if it was a good thing or not. That meant that their eyes could adjust to the darkness again and become more comfortable, but it also meant that it would be harder for their eyes to adjust once the light hits. They will be blinded either way.

Suddenly, the tunnel filled with light. Before anyone could say anything, though, they all noticed the shadow again. It was still there at the front of the tunnel (Tsukune and company would have to pass it to get to the other side), but this time, it had moved a little. It had moved _closer_ to them. The shadow – with no body attached – had moved closer to them!

"Oh my gosh," Kurumu cried, unable to run or do anything else. "How come it's moving now?"

Beads of sweat appeared on Tsukune's forehead, but he wiped it off. "Guys, I think we're reading too much into this. We're scared by a mere shadow! We'd better hurry before the light turns off again-"

"No, wait, what if the shadow moves again? I don't want to cross it!"

"It-"

Before Tsukune could continue, the tunnel went black again.

"Oh great," Kiseki groaned. "We didn't even get a good look at where we're heading. You know what, next time, I'm going first. You guys can just follow me."

"Sounds good," Yukari gulped.

This time, the tunnel was dark only for a few seconds; it lit up again shortly after.

Kiseki nodded to himself. He was moving. Before he could take the first step, though, Kurumu pulled at his arm, letting out a little yelp. She pointed at the shadow again… and this time it was closer to them than ever.

Kiseki tried to shake Kurumu off, but even he was starting to get a little worried. What would happen once the shadow reached them? Would it materialize into a horrific monster, or would it simply pass them and continue on its way, just appearing and disappearing down the tunnel? No one knew for sure.

The tunnel went dark again; the light was gone. Then, a few seconds later, the tunnel lit up again. And – you guessed it – the shadow was now almost directly in front of the group of friends. Kenta glared at it, and – feeling threatened by it – let his doggie instincts take over and pounced at it.

"Kenta - no!"

The half-dog-demon leaped towards the shadow, even though he knew that he couldn't physically harm it. Still, Kenta wanted to get it away from his friends.

What surprised everyone, though, (most of all Kenta himself) he didn't come in contact with the shadow at all; or, ironically, with the rock wall that it appeared on. Kenta simply disappeared into the shadow - it swallowed him up whole like a portal. The shadow seemed like a black hole, and it sucked Kenta right in.

"Oh my God, no…" Kurumu whispered, a hand covered across her mouth. She looked like she was going to cry. "No…"

Kiseki clenched his fist tight. "That's it, I'm going after him. This stupid game can't continue anymore!"

"But what if you get swallowed up too?" Moka demanded, shaking her head. "You probably will… and then how will you get back to us? And Ame! There's still Ame. What are you going to do about her? You're just going to leave her… and us?"

Kiseki swore and punched the wall with his fist. Large chunks of rock, dirt, and mud came raining down.

"Okay, either we all go, or none of us does," Tsukune said confidently, nodding to himself. "We can't be separated like this!"

"But we are already separated," Yukari reminded him quietly, ducking her head down low so no one could see her face. "Kenta…"

"Great! Now we have to choose between Kenta and Ame!" Kurumu cried, agitated. "I hate this!"

Suddenly, the light turned off again in the tunnel; it was pitch black once again. Then, in the darkness, Kiseki said this: "The light is going to come on again very soon. And then the shadow will be moving past us and even further away."

Yukari gripped her wand tighter, her chest pounding. "You know, guys, I don't think this is a monster. The shadow, I mean. Don't you see? Each level is a test, and we've passed all of them so far. Maybe this is just another test. And since the shadow hadn't attacked us so far, maybe it won't? I know it's wrong to assume that, but I think – from the way that Kenta was swallowed up – it's more like a black hole – a portal – than a real monster… It didn't eat Kenta up, I don't think; it just brought him to a different place. Perhaps the same place that Ame was brought to."

"You mean like a portal kind of thing?"

"Yes, that's what I said."

"Well, then, what are we waiting for?" Kiseki demanded, all ready to charge at any shadow whatsoever. "Let's go!"

As of on cue, the light returned again, and the tunnel was brightened. This time, the shadow certainly had moved further down the tunnel; the friends had the run down towards it and leap at it to get in. It was like a train ride, or some kind of public transit. The shadow was the means of transport, and it delivered its passengers to the next stop; a different place.

Kiseki leaped in first, Moka next, then Yukari, and Mizore. All of them disappeared like Kenta had. Tsukune was going to do so as well, but he noticed that Kurumu hadn't moved yet.

"What are you doing?" he asked urgently, hesitant to climb in without Kurumu. "Hurry up and jump in!"

"I-I can't," Kurumu stuttered, paler than usual. "I don't know where it goes. And please, don't call me chicken; I know I'm acting like a five-year-old girl right now. But I'm not confident when it comes to things like this. I like hand-to-hand combat better… I mean, can you even touch that shadow thing? No! It's just… insane."

"Don't you want to rescue Ame and Kenta?" Tsukune inquired.

Kurumu nodded so hard that her head hurt. "Yes! Yes I do…!"

Tsukune smiled, and then held out his hand to her (palms up). "Let's go, then, Kurumu. It'll be okay… our friends are waiting there at our destination, wherever it is that this shadow portal takes us."

Kurumu felt a surge of courage and hope. Yes, if her friends were with her and they were all together, then surely nothing too bad could happen. She had to be brave and rescue her two friends, after all.

With a nod and a smile, Kurumu accepted Tsukune's hand and they jumped in together.

Little did they know that only a second after they'd jumped in, the tunnel was drowned in darkness once more… and the light – along with the shadow – never did show up again after that.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong>

Hello again…!

This chapter sure was different from the rest. No more actual fighting for once, heheh! But no, seriously now… I wanted to illustrate the psychological and mental challenges someone faces when they have to confront the unknown and make drastic decisions.

Monsters (most often) fight physically in hand-to-hand combat. They seldom need to deal with stuff that messes with their heads. xP That is why they're unfamiliar with those things, and that could frighten them. That's why one needs to overcome that fear! Like Kurumu did :)

Oookaaay… only one more chapter to go, and then it's the end of the tunnels/levels. Aren't you excited? :D

P.S. I promise that you will get to see Ame… very, very soon ;)

- ACookieZ


	40. Chapter 40: The Ninth Level

**Angel vs. Demon**

Chapter 40 – The Ninth Level

Tsukune opened his eyes slowly, one by one. He was still gripping Kurumu's hand, but he had no idea where the others were. Suddenly, he felt a stab of fear.

_What if the others got separated?_ he asked himself, heart pounding. _What if they didn't end up in the same place we did? What if something happened to them along the way – _

"Wow," Kurumu gasped quietly, interrupting Tsukune's thoughts. "Look at this…"

Looking around at his surroundings, Tsukune saw that they were in some kind of hall. Not hall as in "hallway", but hall as in a "grand hall"… complete with golden pillars, exceedingly high ceilings, crystal chandeliers, and shiny polished tiles. The sight was almost blinding.

_So this is where the shadow portal took us…_ Tsukune thought. _It wasn't a dangerous monster after all._

"Where are the others?" Kurumu whispered, looking around her as well. "They're here, aren't they? Please tell me they're here."

Tsukune swallowed nervously. "I'm sure they are, Kurumu, I'm sure they-"

"BOO!" someone barked in Tsukune's ear.

"HOLY CRAP!" he shouted, jumping quite high into the air. "Sh*t, who-?"

Tsukune spun around and saw Kenta there, grinning cheekily up at him.

"Kenta!"

"Hiii," Kenta chirped, smiling. "Where have you been?"

"Where have I – Damn, Kenta, you scared the crap out of me. Where have _you_ been?"

"I've been with the others," Kenta replied, gesturing behind him. "They got here earlier than you did, that's for sure."

Kurumu crushed Kenta to her chest, suffocating him once again in her big breasts. "KENTA! Oh my gosh don't ever do that to me again. What were you thinking, leaping randomly into some shadow? What if you got killed?"

"But I didn't!" Kenta replied, grinning despite the lack of oxygen.

"Yeah, he was running all around the place when we appeared," Moka cut in smiling, arriving behind Kenta. The rest of the group of people quickly followed. "He was doing some exploring before we got here…"

Kenta then promptly pushed Kurumu's boobs away from him, and looked at everyone. "That's right! And guess what I found…?"

He ran towards the far side of the hall and gestured towards the grand double doors that resided between two extra-thick pillars. "Look! It's a door!"

"I wouldn't call that just 'a door'," Kurumu muttered, gulping nervously. "How do you even open that thing?"

"I dunno," Kenta replied innocently. "I haven't tried. I wanted to wait till you guys were all here."

Tsukune appraised the door, and then rolled up his sleeves. "Well, let's get started then. If we put all our strength into it, I'm sure we'll be able to open this door…"

There were no handles or anything like that (the golden double doors were steel-like and similar to the doors of a safe), the band of travellers had to resort to pushing open the door. They all rolled up their sleeves and prepared to give it their best shot.

"One, two, three, puuush!" Not surprisingly, the door didn't budge on the first try.

"Ok, let's do this again… one, two, three, PUUUSH!" Nope, the door still didn't open.

"One more try… PUUUSH!" Not even a crack.

"Ok, I'm tired," Yukari sighed, wiping her forehead. "Let's rest for a bit."

"I still can't believe it, though," Kiseki muttered, shaking his head. "It takes two vampires, a ghoul, a snow-fairy, a dog-demon, a witch, and a succubus to open this door? And even then, it's still not open! At this rate, we'll never be able to get to the other side…"

Moka bit her lip in worry. "But, unless we find another way to get open the door…"

"Oh!" Yukari exclaimed. "Maybe the door opens from the other side? And this hall is just the waiting room or something… we can't open it from here."

"Hmm, maybe…"

A few moments after Yukari's speculation, a loud creaking noise was heard. It wasn't like the creaking of a squeaky hinge, though… This creak was massive, and it carried the weight of steel… like the steel door.

"Oh, guys, look!" Kurumu exclaimed, pointing at the golden double doors. "It's opening! It's opening…!"

Sure enough, the double doors cracked open. Everyone expected golden sunlight or something to shine through (like the image of Heaven's gates), but – disappointingly – no light leaked through the cracks. Instead, what "leaked through" was…

"Another monster?" Mizore asked, frowning at the new arrival. "How…"

"No," Moka whispered, "He's not just another average monster… I can feel the power radiating off of him. He has as much power as a vampire… yet, he's not."

The strange man standing in the doorway was tall (very much so), and had long silver hair running down his back. His eyes were a stony grey, and they weren't very warm or welcoming. He was very handsome, however… this man had a very sharp/defined nose, and his complexion was not too pale (but not too tan, either). He looked to be in his late-twenties, almost thirty.

Yukari analyzed the newcomer for a few seconds, then almost fell over in shock. She clutched the hat to her head, blinking, with a stunned expression on her face.

"What's wrong?" Tsukune asked worridly, glancing at the man. "Did he do something to you…?"

"No, no…" Yukari swallowed as if her throat was dry. "I mean… We've seen plenty of creatures we thought were extinct already, didn't we?"

"Yes…? But what's that got to do with anything?"

"Well, here's another one." Yukari took in a huge breath, then continued. "Except, this one is ancient. He's… he's the messenger of the angels."

"What the hell…?" Kiseki snorted at this, smirking. "Huh, 'messenger of the angels'? What, is he going to fly down on his wings and give us a letter or something?"

"Shut up!" Yukari hissed, looking frantically at the stranger. "He might hurt us if you anger him! He's-"

"A harbinger," Moka breathed, eyes wide as well. "I remember when my mother used to tell me about them. Wow, I thought they were all gone…"

"What do you mean?" Kurumu asked, frowning. "Like, they ran away?"

"Sort of. It's a long story… Harbingers were originally created by angels – like the way that yokai were from demons – and they controlled the increasing yokai population thousands of years back. I remember that the humans used to love harbingers… they thought that they were saviors come to rescue them from the yokai monsters terrorizing them."

"Yeah!" Yukari nodded, remembering as well. "Harbingers are such ancient creatures… they go way back to when Alucard was alive. And when the shinso – the first powerful vampires – existed. They're almost like our ancestors, kind of… if you go back far enough. Harbingers were extremely powerful, too… maybe even more so than vampires."

"Whoa!" Kenta said, totally entranced by the story.

"Yeah, but something happened – I think it was a dispute; a traitor was found in the harbinger clan or something – and most of them killed each other. Then their numbers slowly dwindled until there wasn't any left. That was when the vampires rose into power."

This whole time, the friends had been having this whispered conversation with each other. They were very far away from the newcomer, and they thought they could talk freely in whispers. What they didn't know was that the stranger heard every word they said.

"The 'traitor' you were talking about?" the man said in a deep baritone voice. He smiled wryly before he spoke the next few words, which echoed across the grand hall. "That was me."

No one spoke for a while. Many of the friends were terrified! How could they not be, after all? They had a traitor facing them… someone who – possibly, all those years ago – created the dispute within his family that caused his race to become extinct. This was a criminal! A lethal, dangerous criminal!

"I'm not going to hurt you," the stranger said, sighing. He seemed to know what they were thinking.

"That's what they all said," Kenta muttered, huffing.

The harbinger shook his head. "They were all nothing but minor monsters; and they all told nothing but lies." He hesitated for a moment. "Well, mostly lies. I was not surprised at all that you were able to defeat them."

"What do you mean?" Kurumu exclaimed in disbelief. "We were almost killed several times and-!"

"You had _vampires_ with you, after all." The ancient creature said this with disdain (as if it was the most terrible thing in the world), while casting a deadly, possibly poisonous glare in Kiseki's direction. If looks could kill, Kiseki would already be long gone.

"Give us some credit," Yukari huffed, pouting.

The man turned towards her, nodding. "Of course. You did exceptionally well."

Yukari blinked in surprise, feeling pleased with his praise. Having a thousand-or-something-year-old harbinger compliment you was not something that happened too often.

"You performed fine as well, Tsukune. As did Kenta, Mizore, and Kurumu."

"Hold on," Moka said, frowning. "There is clearly some prejudice going on here… what's wrong with vampires?"

The atmosphere around the man instantly darkened. "Vampires, you say?" he spat, "They're too arrogant, too sinful… and they would not hesitate to abandon anyone at their own convenience. Angels and Demons are the same, as well… the angels – who call themselves 'holy' and giving – have abandoned countless people and given them false hope, and the demons are just tempting, devious little devils who take advantage of others. Both kinds use others – especially minor monsters and humans – as pawns."

Kiseki cleared his throat uncomfortably. Clearly, they had a bitter "old" man here with them, whose feelings were full of contempt. He knew that he did not know the history or past of this ancient creature, but that still did not give him the right to hate anyone.

"But isn't it the same with all monsters?" Mizore murmured, looking at the man.

"Yeah," Kurumu agreed. "All monsters – no matter what kind – have some bad points in them… but that doesn't mean we're all like that. And most of the creatures you talk about aren't even that bad."

The man shook his head slowly, as if exasperated that they still did not understand. "Would you care to listen to my story – my explanation? Hundreds of years ago, I fell in love with a young vampire: Claudia. Because harbingers and vampires were separated by a delicate treaty, our kinds could not mix. That's why, when I pursued our relationship, both she and I were shunned by our kind. They abandoned us, and even tried to execute me – that is where the 'traitor' rumor started. I was no traitor; I just wanted to obtain happiness. That did not stop the others from harassing Claudia and I, though."

Moka, completely entranced by the story, whispered: "What happened to her?"

The man paused for a split second before replying: "She died. Committed suicide, I believe, thinking they had killed me." He suddenly threw his head back and laughed bitterly. "But they couldn't kill me; oh, how I wish they had. The vampire blood in me – Claudia's – had a peculiar effect in my body as it mixed with the harbinger blood… and I ended up becoming invincible."

Tsukune instantly was on his guard. Not only was this creature ancient and powerful, he was also invincible! Now that complicated matters by a lot.

"I turned to the angels for assistance," the harbinger continued, looking away, "but they just ignored me. Abandoned me, again. I had become tainted; I wasn't the harbinger they had wanted me to be. I couldn't continue to do what they created me to do. I had 'sinned' and killed millions, by then, and they saw no reason to release me from this nightmare. So I continued to wander around the earth, unable to die, unable to age, unable to bring back my family and friends. Or Claudia," he added in a whisper, his expression pained.

Kiseki felt almost no pity for this man. He was the one who had brought this all upon himself, so he saw no reason to feel bad for him. He knew that if Ame was here, however, her heart would be breaking in two at the harbinger's woeful story and she'd do whatever she could to help him. A smile flashed across his face at the thought of this (and the mental image of Ame tearing her hair out, unable to do anything for this old man), but he then mentally slapped himself and ordered his face to compose itself. He knew already that this harbinger had a problem with him and his kind, and he did not want him to think that he was smiling in glee at his sob-story. Kiseki cleared his throat once, and continued to listen to the rest of the man's story in all seriousness.

"Demons are the worst," the harbinger continued, teeth clenching together. "They took advantage of all the commotion and the chaos, and committed acts for their own benefits. They're like vultures; they prey on dead bodies, hover around the living as an ominous reminder of their existence, and cause disorder. Believe me, I'd rather died all those years ago with Claudia. The only comfort I find in living is being able to keep an eye on all my kin and descendants. Having stayed alive for so long, I am possibly distantly-related to many of you monsters…"

Tsukune sighed. This man was so wrapped up in his past that he did not even notice his audience… who were very impatient and waiting to rescue their friend (who could very possibly be in danger).

At once, the harbinger's head snapped up. He composed himself, and collected his thoughts. Then he spoke.

"I apologize for having kept you waiting for so long. I take it you're all impatient and anticipating finding your friend?"

"How do you know?" Kenta asked, eyes wide. Truthfully, it wasn't that surprising (after all, the group of travellers had announced that very purpose in almost every level they passed), but it was still very suspicious; none of the other monsters they'd encountered had asked that before.

"I know a lot of things," the man answered. "But I also know that if you don't reach her soon, things could go in the demons' favour, and Evil would overrule. She's not in danger, though, so calm yourselves. She couldn't be in danger; her capturers wouldn't allow her to be injured. They wouldn't be able to use her, then… she wouldn't be resourceful to them."

"Why do you know all these things?" Kiseki asked, eyes narrowed. "And what are you doing here, at the last level? Are you in cahoots with Ms. De Mone and her other demons?"

The harbinger answered Kiseki without looking at him, as if he wasn't even worth his effort and energy. "_I_ chose to stay here, for your information. It is my own decision. I do not wish to continue roaming above the earth - call me secluded, if you will. But I know that a battle will be breaking out soon. Evil had made its move, and the so-called 'angelic' side is plotting something as well. And, even though I regret to say this, humans are going to become affected by all this. The very creatures I was made to protect are going to suffer too. I don't want to become a part of it; I refuse to take any sides. Why help the angelic and demonic sides when they haven't done anything for me? And why help the monsters who will be caught up in this when they are all going to die anyway?"

"That's a horrible thought," Kenta stated, frowning. Yukari looked at him in shock, her expression demanding to know how he could talk back like that to a harbinger. But nevertheless, Kenta continued. "I say you should at least do something about this! Forget Good and Evil, angels and demons, and all that. Who's right? And who's wrong? You'll need to decide that for yourself."

"And act according to what you believe is right!" Moka added, suddenly finding the strength to speak. "I know that this might seem like a lost cause, because if what you say is true, then thousands are going to die anyway. I know you can't rescue every single one of them. But is what you're doing right? Knowing this and choosing to ignore it… that's just letting everyone suffer in vain."

Tsukune gripped his hands tight and agreed as well. "If you can do something – no matter how insignificant you think it is – then I suggest you do it. See, we didn't even know all this was going to happen, but we're still gonna try to stop it. Take Ame for instance. Rescuing her might seem like a lost cause in your opinion, but we're going to do so anyway because it's the right thing to do. And she's our friend. Don't _you_ have any friends?"

The harbinger's eyes widened in surprise, but he did not answer. He looked down at his feet instead.

"What about your kin, your 'descendants', like you said before?" Yukari asked. "Do you want to see them hurt in this pointless battle? What about all those innocent humans? Not to mention the other monsters around the world that didn't do anything wrong… they don't deserve this, do they?"

The harbinger steeled himself, and his grey eyes flashed. He stuck his chin up, but did not oppose or object.

"I'll think about it," he compromised, not complying fully. "But I expect you all to be gone while I make my decision."

"Gone?" Tsukune echoed, surprised. "Where – oh."

"Yes, it's time for you to be on your way," the harbinger said, eyeing Tsukune in curiosity. "You travellers have not 'moved' me, but your being here has definitely affected me. After this, I don't think I could continue to live on in ignorance even if I want to."

Kenta smiled, his ears wiggling. "That means you'll help us and defeat those bad guys?"

"It depends on what you mean by the bad guys," the harbinger said. "Everyone could be considered a bad guy in some way. But now, I suppose you all should go find your golden scale."

"Scale?" Kurumu asked, befuddled. "Like, a fish's scale…?"

"No," he answered, amused by her thinking. "A weighing scale; a measuring scale. The scale of Good and Evil. If the demons find a way to tip her in their favour, then many things could go wrong…"

"Excuse me," Tsukune interrupted, "but I don't think we have anything like that. I don't even know if such a thing exists!"

"Oh, but it does..." the harbinger replied, expression dark. "The angels and the demons have created her and put her into physical form, and now they're fighting for control over her. Trying to make them into their pawn and use her. It's ridiculous."

"'Her'?" Kiseki caught the key word, turning his body to face the man.

The harbinger snapped his jaw closed, refusing to say any more. He moved out of the way, away from the double doors, and with a swish of his arms, gestured for Tsukune and his companions to exit the hall. His expression clearly told them not to discuss anything further. Obeying his wishes, Tsukune and his friends bowed their heads and left, heading through the doors and out the hall.

"Oh!" Tsukune suddenly remembered something, and spun around to look at the harbinger. "What is your name?"

"Apollo," he answered as the double doors slowly closed over his face, separating them.

"C'mon, are you kidding me?" Kurumu grumbled ahead of Tsukune, groaning.

"Well, I know Apollo is an unusual name, Kurumu, but you don't have to be so-"

"No, Tsukune you idiot, that's not what I was talking about!" Kurumu spun him around so that he wasn't staring at the double doors and was facing the other direction instead.

What they expected to see – a path to Lucy's office, doors to a classroom, another furnished hallway, anything – wasn't there. Instead, what faced them was the very thing that took them here…

Again, they were staring at a dark, winding tunnel.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong>

Hey! :)

I hope you liked this chapter… hopefully I didn't mess it up :P

And please, don't get angry at me for preaching/lecturing about morality; I wasn't trying to do either of that (especially not to you, the readers :3). If you hadn't noticed, in Rosario Vampire, Tsukune and his friends have a very clear sense of right and wrong; all of them are very righteous. I was just trying to illustrate that in this chapter, with them "lecturing" the harbinger. When they meet someone who doesn't see eye to eye with them, obviously some kind of debate is gonna happen.

I might be expecting too much by springing all these information onto you in the chapter of the last level, but this Apollo character plays a role later on in the story. He's kind of like a nomad that Tsukune and his friends meet on the way :3

And I know that some of this stuff is hard to process… but if you're into this kind of detail, then that's awesome~ The next chapter is gonna be hella long too, though… just a warning! :)

BTW, another hint about the next chapter…

A lot of secrets are going to be revealed. Just saying. Everything will BLOW. YOUR. MIND. Ok, maybe not that crazy x) But still… please anticipate this.

Oh, and just another note: the next chapter will be in Ame's POV. You know what that means! ;)

- ACookieZ


	41. Chapter 41: Secrets Unveiled

**Angel vs. Demon**

Chapter 41 – Secrets Unveiled (Ame's POV)

I stood still in front of the black door of hell (at least, it looked that way to me). It seemed like I was just staring at the rusty chains draping over the door for ages… Still, nothing changed. The pillars beside the door were covered in spikes, and the door itself had bolts and locks all over it. I was probably just trying to stall for time; staring at the menacing door was better than entering it, at least.

"Well, what are you waiting for?" Lucy asked, poking me in the small of my back with her nail. "Go on! Keep walking!"

I dug my heels into the ground and jerked my head side to side in a "no". Lucy saw this, rolled her eyes, and pushed me forwards. Then, she must have pressed some button or hit some secret switch or something, because the door slowly creaked open. It looked - and sounded - like it weighed a ton.

I really wasn't looking forward to what was behind that door. Lucy claimed that it was for her disciplinary class, but that honestly didn't mean desks, chairs, a chalkboard, and lectures. I could bet my cat that there were torture instruments in there, or something like that. I'd expect that much from her, at least.

What I didn't expect, though, was to see a familiar face behind that door.

"Garron?" I whispered in disbelief.

"Ame." Garron greeted me with a familiar lopsided smile on his face.

"What are you doing here?" I cried. I wasn't upset with him, though, not at all. In fact, I was ready to run up to him and throw my arms around his neck. I thought Kiseki and the others would find me first, but surprisingly, it was Garron who did. He must have… or else why would he be here? Wait…

"Garron, are you in trouble too? Like me?"

Garron stared at me in disbelief for a second, then cracked a smile. The smile wasn't genuine like his usual ones; this one looked almost cruel. It belonged to someone who prided themselves in their power… someone who looked down on others like they were vermin. Not Garron. Not the Garron I knew.

"Ha! What an idea." Garron snorted.

I frowned at him, not comprehending.

"Ah, surprised, perhaps?" Garron asked, his smirk growing wider. Wider and crueler. "You are so naïve, you know… you humans trust people way too easily. This is why you're easily fooled. And easily controlled, I might add. Especially with your powers… corrupting you would be equivalent to tipping the balance between good and evil, letting evil overrule."

"Garron…?" I whispered, uncomprehending any of this. "What are you saying?"

Garron rolled his eyes. "Do I have to spell everything out for you? Ame, my dear, I'm not the nice, kind Garron you think I am! You're stupid to even believe me in the first place!"

I croaked an uneasy laugh in disbelief. "But Garron, if you're not in trouble, then why are you here? Don't tell me you're actually Lucy's accomplice? You're scaring me. This isn't funny, you know… Please, let's just go back to Yokai Academy, ok…? The Garron I know-"

"You know _nothing_!" Garron snapped, getting all in my face. I shrunk back and bumped into Lucy who was behind me, flinching, and Garron seemed to notice what he did. He gave me back my personal space, and regained his cool again.

He strolled around in front of me. As soon as Garron was out of my face, Lucy shoved me away from her. I bit my lip and tried not to cry out as my neck was jerked backwards by the motion of the sudden push.

"Garron," I tried one more time, swallowing my fears and confusions. "Come on, can't we go? Everyone's waiting for us! They think I was kidnapped…! We have to-"

Garron interrupted me by clearing his throat. He snapped his fingers once, then cleared his throat again. Only after he snapped his fingers did his disguise collapse; his voice, the voice I thought he had, suddenly disappeared…

"Ame, I'm not who you think I am." Garron said in his new voice. "Lucy was right all along, you fool. I'm not Garron, your little friend from school. I'm really her Master… Lord of the Demon Realm."

My eyes widened, and I could hardly form any coherent thoughts. No, it wasn't because of what Garron himself had said… What he said didn't really mean much to me just then. I couldn't process any of the information into my brain. I only understood one thing from what he said…

He was talking through the voice from my nightmares. Garron, Garron Lived, the nicest guy I ever knew, had the same voice as that unknown being from my worst dreams!

"You're 'the voice'!" I whispered, horrified, unable to notice anything else. But when I could register what he said… God, it all made sense now.

Garron was so shady in the beginning. Every little action he made, everyone little word he said, every expression he had… it all fit together. He always seemed to know more than he let on.

Even at the tournament – so long ago, it seems like almost a memory – when I was surrounded by ice dolls that imitated his voice, he knew where I was… and that red deer from the Survival Test, I bet he conjured it up too, just to see me get killed by pixies. Or maybe to see how long it took for me to transform… And at the festival, when I "slept" on the benches… he had lied to me after all. I wasn't sleeping; I was wandering around committing crimes, and Garron knew it. He probably didn't interfere just to see how the situation would turn out. I shuddered. I seemed like a lab rat in his eyes.

"Took you long enough to figure that out, huh?" Garron's voice returned back to normal, snapping me out of my thoughts. "I wasn't fully mended, yet… I didn't have all my powers back. I could only communicate to you this way from your dreams. It's all thanks to that stupid Yokai Headmaster that I'm this weak…"

Garron's tone filled with loathing, and the tendons in his arms flexed.

"Why?" I whispered. "What did he do to you?"

Aside from the shock of Garron's betrayal, the least I could was to keep talking to stall for time. No doubt Garron was going to kill me… I already knew too much.

I tried to ignore the pain in my heart as I brainstormed for questions to save my life with.

"That old bastard did _everything_," Garron answered, his teeth gritting together. "Him, along with the other Hell Kings. All stupid, arrogant fools, every one of them. They think they're so great, banishing others into the Demon Realm for centuries."

"They did that to you?" I asked lightly, hoping that Garron's anger would wane. If he got too angry, he might just take it all out on me. I was the one pestering him with questions, after all.

"I committed a crime, or so they say," Garron answered, his expression apathetic. It didn't seem like he cared that he broke the law or anything. "I tried to use my powers to absorb the energy of the greatest monster alive, back then… the great Alucard."

I gasped, appalled. I had heard Moka and the others talk to me about it before, when they were telling me about their adventures from last year. Wasn't Alucard stronger and more powerful than vampires? It was a monster so terrifying that Moka's own mother risked her life to put it to sleep, so to say…

"I wanted to be powerful," Garron continued, on the roll. He didn't stop to see if I was listening; he didn't care about his audience. It was like only he was there, him and his memories. "Because of my power, everyone loathed me. I wasn't highly respected like vampires or other monsters, even though we all do the same thing, we all have the same power; we take energy from other living creatures in order to survive, right…?"

Even though Garron didn't care for his audience, I listened with avid attention. He was revealing something he hadn't revealed to anyone; this was the real Garron, right now, and not the front and façade he put up in front of me and others at Yokai.

"Because my power was so rare, monsters feared me." Garron laughed bitterly. "I even had this minor conflict with a harbinger once, if you can believe it."

"Harbingers?" I asked, my head cocked. "What are-"

"You don't need to know." Garron interrupted, shaking his head. "He was kind of like me, though, all isolated, alone, and hurt... so I asked him to join me. Little did I know that he was the righteous kind. And he loved humans, at that! Those repulsive humans... how disgusting. So we got into a fight, a minor battle, no big deal. Hmm, who am I kidding? I was lucky enough to escape with my body intact. That damn harbinger was strong. What was his name? Sun? No, wait, it was Apollo."

My head was reeling at this point. Who was this Apollo, exactly? If he was strong enough to almost defeat Garron... I shuddered, refusing to process this further. There were simply too much fearsome creatures roaming about.

"Anyway, the harbinger wasn't the only one who harassed me... other monsters did to. They made fun of my powers, my being, what I am. I hated it… I starved myself by not feeding, ran away from home – if you can even _call_ it home – and even tried to commit suicide, but none of it worked. It was like I was kept alive just to torment myself."

"And torment myself I did," he whispered. "But I didn't give up, however. I lived with only one purpose: to become stronger, so that others wouldn't be able to harass me again. That's when I decided to do something I never thought of doing before… I used my power – that so many others despised – to my benefit. I sought out the legendary Alucard."

I still couldn't believe he actually considered finding that ancient beast. He was either very brave… or very, very desperate.

"The place was so heavily guarded," Garron continued, grimacing. He rubbed his arms absent-mindedly, like there were scars there from long ago. "Of course, it wasn't as heavily guarded as when it was at the Akashiya residence, but that was only recently. Thousands of years ago, Alucard was buried deep underground, with many deadly traps and impossible obstacles. When I finally got there, however, it was all worth it."

A fleeting smile lit up Garron's face, but it wasn't the smile I was used to seeing. This smile, it was like the smile a person starved for weeks would have when he or she saw a feast. It was greedy, and it was crazy. The smile a lunatic would have.

"I succeeded," Garron went on, not noticing my disgusted expression. He laughed to himself, as if reliving the memory. "I had reached Alucard! But…" – his expression immediately darkened many degrees – "… that stupid old man ruined it. Yes, he ruined my chance of becoming the strongest! I hadn't even sucked a few mouthfuls of Alucard's life force before the stupid Headmaster trapped me in a holy barrier and had me thrown into the Demon Realm."

I shuddered uncontrollably. Garron's voice, and his expression, was so dark and menacing… it was like he was a completely different person.

"He thought that would stop me?" Garron threw back his head and laughed towards the ceiling. "No, I waited. I waited, alright. I was trapped in the Demon Realm for centuries, plotting my revenge. Oh yes, _plotting_… plotting, and restoring my power. They had beaten me up quite thoroughly before they left me to rot down here."

"Centuries…" I murmured to myself. "How old are you, anyway, Garron?"

Garron's head snapped up to look at me, as if he'd only realized just then that I was there.

"Looks can be deceiving," he said calmly. His dramatic voice changes had me thrown off course many times. I struggled to focus on escaping. It wouldn't be long before Garron decided that he'd seen too much of me…

"So, Ame?" Garron raised his face to look at me right in the eye. "What do you think? Do you despise me like everyone else?"

"I-"

"No, don't answer." Garron snapped, not letting me finish. "I don't care what anyone thinks anymore, actually… no one's going to stop me. I will annihilate Yokai Academy and unleash my army from the Underworld, the Demon Realm. I have my own group of supporters; we can destroy the Three Dark Lords ourselves. We don't need anyone else…"

I sighed to myself, feeling extremely depressed. So that was Garron's ultimate goal in the end…

What could I do to stop this? What chance do I have of escaping? Close to none. Even if I did escape from Garron's hold, what would I do? I didn't even know how I got down here! How would I know how to get out…?

"I don't need anyone else…" Garron repeated quietly, almost mumbling to himself, "… except for maybe _you_."

I blinked in shock. "What?"

Garron smiled, showing all his teeth. "Yes, that's right, Ame. You're going to help me destroy all my enemies!"

"I-I can't," I replied, incapable of saying anything else. I just couldn't! Not in human form, not in angel form… not even in my demon form. Just who did Garron think I was?

"You can!" Garron shouted back, teeth grinding together angrily. I immediately snapped my mouth shut and lowered my eyes to the ground.

"You can," he continued, pacing again. I saw his feet move back and forth in front of me. "Don't you see, Ame? You're like a golden scale! A delicate balance between good and evil. And if I get you on my side, then I will tip that scale in my favor! I would rule. Oh yes, that was our plan all along..."

I shook my head sharply, not trusting myself enough to speak out loud. I furiously blinked back the tears threatening to spill over. I would not cry in front of this man.

"You're still not convinced, Ame?" Garron tapped his finger to his chin. "Well, let's put it this way. You can create barriers and shields, correct? That also means you can _penetrate_ barriers and shields, and destroy them. So having you on my side would be a bonus, in that sense. Any stupid barrier the Headmaster conjures up, you can just counterattack and destroy it!"

I gritted my teeth. Finally, I gathered up my courage and spoke.

"But that doesn't make sense," I said slowly, each word at a time. "Why would you want a half-angel near you? Anything holy close to you and your 'followers' would be bad, wouldn't it?"

I quickly gulped some air, forcing my fear down. I had to convince Garron to let me go. "So it would make more sense to have me as far as possible, right? I mean, I might just jeopardize your plans…"

Garron laughed at me, as if he found my reasoning hilarious. "Oh, Ame, you're still the same, huh? No, you still don't get it…! I plan to have you _completely_ on our side, Ame. I want you to give up your angel side and come join me here in the Underworld!"

My mouth gaped open.

"No!" I cried in disbelief. No way was I going to do that! What about my friends, my family? Tsukune, Moka, Kiseki, Kenta, Kurumu, Mizore, Yukari, even Ms. Nekonome and the teachers… and my siblings. My pets. All my human qualities… gone.

Garron pursed his lips in dissatisfaction. "Well, I guess I have no choice then but to _force_ you."

Trembling, I jerked my head from side to side in a "no".

Garron shook his own head. "I don't _want_ to force you, Ame, but you leave me no choice. You're the one who brought this upon yourself, you know. I offered you a peaceful, completely fair decision – no violence or threats included – but you refused! So now what other options do I have? To achieve my goals, I need you."

As if on cue, Lucy grabbed my arms from behind. I was petrified; I froze for half a second before I started reacting. I fought, I kicked, I shouted… I even tried to throw myself backwards against Lucy to knock her off balance and escape.

That did not end well. The back of my head knocked against Lucy's pointy chin, and got her pissed off. She gripped me even tighter, her nails digging into my flesh. I tried to step on her foot, and she hissed in annoyance before kneeing me in the back. It wasn't just force; it _hurt_, like a sharp stab. Her knee was extremely bony, and I almost had the wind knocked out of me. I dared not cross her again.

"Lucy, bring her over there against the wall. And chain her up, will you?" Garron commanded. "I don't want her hurting herself during the process of her… transformation."

I wept then. I just openly cried. I did not cry for myself, though… and if I did, it was only because I'd be missing my friends and family. I cried for Tsukune and the others… The fact that I'd never see them again, and that they'd never succeed in finding me (or at least, the old normal me) made me miserable.

It hadn't even been a year yet, but I'd felt close to these people than anyone else in my life. My friends – unlike my parents – had no expectations of me. I didn't need to pretend to be a different person to please them; I didn't have to put up a big-sister front or a responsible-elder-daughter façade. Even when I turned into a deformed half-angel half-demon, they still accepted me for who I was. For this fact, I was grateful.

But now, that also made me extremely sad.

"Oh, don't cry," Lucy said sweetly, blinking down at me while she handcuffed my wrists to the wall. "I _hate_ tears," she whispered venomously in my ear as she bent down.

I shivered. How anyone could be this evil, and have no conscience, I did not understand. I was still thinking about this and mourning while Lucy fussed around me, tightening straps and locking chains together. Pretty soon, I was officially their prisoner. I had no chance – no hope – of escape. I felt like I was going to cry again.

"Okay," Garron said, clapping his hands. There was a hint of enthusiasm in his voice. "Let's begin, Ame!"

I didn't respond. I didn't say anything, I didn't feel anything. I'd changed from crying hysterically on the outside to feeling completely empty on the inside. My tears dried and stained my face, but I did not try to wipe them away.

I'd accepted my fate by now… I was a prisoner. And soon, I would be on their side. Just the thought of it made me shiver, but only mentally. I was just a useless empty shell now… my soul seemed to have left me for good.

"You should be honored," Lucy told me, clicking her tongue at me in disdain. "Not everyone gets to have the privilege of having our Lord choose them specifically to join our side." She shook her head sadly. "You ungrateful brat."

"Enough, Lucy," Garron said sternly. "Don't upset her any further. And step aside for now… I'm going to begin."

Lucy bowed respectfully and slid away. I could still see her from the corner of my eyes. She stood near the sidelines, watching and waiting to be needed.

Garron took a step closer to me, and raised his arms above his head. He closed his eyes slowly, and I could see his entire posture relax. He opened his mouth, and I felt mine open as well.

I willed it to stop, I really did. But I suddenly had no control over my own body…

Garron breathed in slowly, inhaling, and I felt the air – no, my soul, my very essence - getting sucked out of me. It was like he was inhaling while I was exhaling… the feeling was not pleasant.

With a shock, I realized what he was doing. He was sucking the angel side out of me! He was planning on eliminating that part, and all that would be left of me was my demon side… and I had no control over that side. I would turn evil, just like him!

I didn't want that; I fought with all my might against it. I tried breathing my angelic energy back into myself. Sweat dripped down from my brows as I struggled against the invisible force.

Garron's eyebrow twitched and I could tell it was taking him a lot of concentration to operate this. Although I already predicted that my struggles would be futile, I still tried. I wasn't going to give up that easily.

Apparently, neither was Garron. He puffed out his chest, raised his arms higher, opened his mouth wider, and inhaled more of my angel essence into him. My eyes widened as I saw tendrils of white, silvery, fluffy-looking smoke come out of me and drift towards Garron's mouth.

The last thing I saw clearly before I passed out was Garron opening his eyes in satisfaction. I remembered his entire eyeball was pallid… his pupils were a glowing white, and my silvery, fluffy angel mist swirled inside of him.

Things started to get blurry, and I felt my head drop down to my chest before I blacked out.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong>

Well, this is it! The great revelation… hahaha.

Wow, this sure was fun to write. I hope you guys all enjoyed it as well! So, what do you think…? Was it very obvious to you that Garron was behind all this? :( I think things just got too evident when Garron wasn't there during the underground tunnel trek… *sigh*. Well, I tried, you know…

Anyhoo, comment and let me know! I'm excited to see what you guys think. And you know what else I'm excited about…? The next chapter! It's _not_ in Ame's POV, so be prepared… and no, it's not in Garron's POV either (for those of you who were hoping, LOL). It's in the third person, like before.

Talk to ya soon! ;)

- ACookieZ


	42. Chapter 42: Ame Corrupted?

**Angel vs. Demon**

Chapter 42 – Ame Corrupted?

"Great. Are we still gonna have to walk through more tunnels?" Kiseki asked, rubbing his face. "I swear, if I see one more f*ckin' tunnel ever again in my life, I will-"

"Aaalright, that's just _wonderful_, Kiseki," Moka interrupted, not wanting to hear any more complaining at this point. "I know you're anxious, but I'm sure we're getting close now. We've past the last level, after all. If we just go on a bit more…"

Kiseki sighed, but complied. Moka was right; he was feeling anxious. He thought they could already get to Ame, but what the hell was with this tunnel?! They seemed so close, but at the same time, so far away. He was getting exceedingly frustrated.

"Hey, guys, look at this!" Kenta raced up ahead, pointing at the very end of the tunnel. Thank goodness, this tunnel had an end; it actually led somewhere. Kiseki inhaled deeply in anticipation.

"It's a… door."

"What the hell?" Kiseki growled, staring at the door. "Are you kidding me, _another_ door?"

Tsukune gulped nervously. "But this one looks a bit different from the last one, doesn't it…?"

Indeed, it was. These double doors were ash-black, rusty in some places, and very uninviting. Instead of the golden pillars they saw in the hall before, this door had equipped with spiky, metallic black pillars. The door itself was decorated with rusty chains (almost like streamers), and numerous locks and padlocks were placed over the crack where the two halves of the double doors met.

"You really think Ame's behind this door?" Yukari asked doubtfully, staring up. She hadn't even entered it yet, and she already felt its ominous aura.

"Well, where else does this tunnel lead to?" Kiseki snapped, on edge. Even he felt concerned; it Ame was locked behind a door like this, then no doubt something horrible was happening to her. He almost hoped for a comic relief… he wished that when they somehow managed to get the menacing doors open, Ame would just pop up from behind it, hair bouncing, wearing a party hat, holding noise-makers and plastic party cups, saying: "Hahaha! Congratulations on finding me! It was all just a joke!"

But he knew that it wouldn't happen. God, he wished it would, but it was just impossible.

"Alright, let's get this damn thing open," Kiseki muttered, setting to work. Along with Yukari, he first examined the many locks on the door. There were tons of different kinds; padlocks, number locks, password locks, chain locks, school locker locks… hell, it'll take forever just to take note of them all.

"There's so many," Moka said with worry. "How are we going to crack them all? I mean, we'll need passwords, keys… and maybe even a chainsaw, just in case we have to force some open."

"Hold on a second…" Yukari got closer to the dark double doors, eyes squinting at the locks and the door crack. Before anyone could stop her, she reached out and touched the locks.

"Yukari! Be careful…!" Kenta hurried up to her, taking her hand away from the door. "It could be booby-trapped or poisoned, you know."

Yukari laughed at this, then turned serious. "Guys… we won't need anything to open this door."

"Why?" everyone demanded. No key, password, or chainsaw to open the locks?

"Because the locks are fake!" Yukari declared, straightening up. "I mean, they're real, but they're just for decoration… they don't actually _do_ anything. See this padlock? It has a crack in it… and when the door somehow opens by itself, then the padlock will automatically open. And this chain strung across the doors, too… it's held together by something and won't actually come loose or open. It's all just for show!"

Mizore gasped. "Who would do something like this?"

"Someone who wants to throw us off, I bet," Kiseki answered, shaking his head at the locks. "Damn, I was so – well, I didn't notice it."

"Then there must be something else to open the doors…" Tsukune mused, stroking his chin. "How are we going to get in?"

"I bet there's some switch or something," Yukari replied, nodding to herself. "Like a button someone can press to have the doors open automatically, without having to go through all those fake locks."

"Well, what are we waiting for then?" Kurumu exclaimed, jumping up. "Let's start looking for it!"

Everyone got to work. Kenta used his nose to try to sniff the switch out, and Kurumu flew up to get a birds-eye view on the area. Moka, Yukari, Mizore, and Tsukune searched the old-fashioned way, turning over rocks, looking behind boulders, and peering into cracks. The only one who was frantically searching was Kiseki; he raced around in a blur, crushing the rocks instead of turning them over, rolling the boulders around instead of looking behind them, and generally made a big nuisance out of himself.

"Dude, calm down!" Tsukune shouted, finally losing his temper.

"But we're so damn close!" Kiseki shouted back. As he said this, he kicked a boulder and destroyed it into smithereens. "We're so close…"

He was right. To come all the way here and be thrown off by a mere switch seemed too ridiculous. Everyone held their breath and got back to work again, searching harder than ever. No one bothered to respond to Kiseki's urges to hurry, though.

Out of frustration, Kiseki did a spin-kick and knocked a jagged rock down. Before, it was protruding out of the ground like an upside down icicle, but now Kiseki had knocked it over. Moka almost rolled her eyes at his behavior, but then stopped herself. She peered closer at the jagged rock, and then gasped.

"Kiseki… what did you do?" she whispered, horrified.

"What do you mean?" he asked, not looking in the rock's direction. "I just kicked it over. Why?"

Moka went over to the rock and felt around the tip – the top part – of it. Her fingernails caught the edge of a latch, and she used her fingers to flip it open. It opened like a lid. Hidden under that rocky lid was a red button.

Kiseki paled visibly. "No…"

"Ah, Kiseki you idiot!" Yukari cried, running over to look at the button. "You knocked over the door-opening device!"

Kiseki hurried over as well, breathing nervously. "No… no, maybe it still works?"

He pressed the red button once, but nothing happened. The door did not open. Frantic now, he pressed it again… then again and again, repeatedly. When still nothing happened, he began furiously pounding the button.

"Stop it," Moka ordered, putting her hand over Kiseki's. "You're going to destroy the button!"

"It's no use, anyway," Yukari muttered, sighing. "It was destroyed the moment you knocked its stand over. I think the wires inside broke or something; the top was completely severed, after all."

Kiseki collapsed on the ground, palms over his face. Tentatively, Kenta waddled over and gave him an awkward hug. Kiseki did not reject it.

"Dammit, look at what I did," Kiseki groaned. He was on the verge of breaking down. The others had never seen this side of him before, not even Moka.

"It will be okay," Tsukune murmured, patting Kiseki on the back. "We'll find another way to open the door. We'll go back to the school and call for back up and assistance if we have to! We'll rescue Ame, I promise."

Tsukune himself was feeling increasingly fretful. Ame had been the only human companion he had at Yokai Academy, and now he was going to lose her.

He shook himself. _No, you can't think like that,_ he thought. _She's going to be fine; we'll find her eventually._

"You know what?" Kiseki growled, standing up so suddenly that Kenta almost fell over. "I don't give a sh*t anymore. I don't care if we lost the button to open the door… I'm gonna force it open."

"What?" Kurumu cried, "How? Kiseki, that's impossible-"

"No it's not!" he objected. He spun around to face the door and glared at it as if it was his worst enemy. "I already knocked the button over; now I'm going to knock the _door_ over."

With a deep breath, he ran up to the door and – with unbelievable force – shoulder-butted it. The pointy locks and chains dug into his skin, but he did not wince. He threw himself at the door, again and again.

Tsukune stood there with his mouth open, gaping at Kiseki. Then, after a quick shake of the head, he joined him in body-slamming the door. Pretty soon, the whole gang was doing it; they kicked at the door, used their powers to dent it, and generally scarred the door beyond repair.

This dark door wasn't as sturdy as the other one from the golden hall. The chains and locks rattled dangerously as the friends attacked the door, and the crack in the middle of the double doors grew wider centimeter by centimeter as they knocked their bodies against it.

Kiseki backed up a good few meters, sprinted up to the door, and used his hands to push himself off of the floor. Then – with a loud aggressive yell – the vampire kicked at the opening with both his feet.

Finally, the remaining chains and locks gave way and the door busted open.

"Impressive," Mizore commented, patting Kiseki on the shoulder in congratulations. Kiseki said nothing; he was busy focusing on steadying his breathing.

"Look who decided to show up!" someone laughed from inside the room. Kiseki and the others entered it cautiously, and there – near the back of the room – stood Lucy…

… and Garron.

"Garron?" Kurumu cried, eyes wide. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"I belong here!" Garron answered, smiling. "The Underworld is my kingdom; I am its ruler. I'm not your ally, and definitely not the friendly Garron Lived you knew from school. Your homeroom teacher, Ms. de Mone? Yeah, she's my demon minion. My slave, as she prefers to be called." He reached over and stroked her chin, and Lucy purred in pleasure.

"What the…?" Everyone else found this extremely far-fetched and messed up.

"Surprised, perhaps? Ame was too. That is, she _was_, until I forced her to obey." Garron smirked and pointed over at the wall behind him. Kiseki stretched his neck to look, and his eyes widened and his heart began to pound. Not in excitement or happiness, no… his heart was pounding from fury.

There, chained to the wall behind Garron, was Ame. Her arms were secured over her head by the leather straps on her wrists, which were connected by chains to the cement wall behind her. It looked painfully tight against her wrist, and Kiseki could see red marks where the straps had bit into her skin. Her feet weren't secured, though, and they were sprawled in front of her on the ground. It seemed that Ame had struggled; her chest rose and fell rapidly, and faint sweat covered her uniform. Much to Kiseki's discomfort, it even made some places… transparent, to say the least. She was sitting on her bottom in a very uncomfortable position, and her skirt was drawn up high over her thighs.

_Luckily she always wears those shorts underneath them, though… _Kiseki thought to himself. _Or else that perverted sadist Garron would have seen her…_

Kiseki snapped out of his thoughts. _What the hell am I thinking about? Ame's in trouble, and I'm worrying about her –_

"As I'm sure you had noticed, there's something different about her," Garron said in pride, interrupting Kiseki's internal debates. "I'm proud to say that she now belongs to me… My beautiful, powerful golden scale."

"The scale!" Yukari cried in realization, slapping her forehead. "Apollo said something about that…"

"Apollo?" Garron snapped, instantly alert. "This Apollo you speak of…"

"Nothing." Kiseki interrupted. He had to spit that word out of his mouth; his teeth were so tightly clenched. "What did you do to Ame?"

"Well…" Garron began hesitantly, reluctant to diverge from the subject of Apollo, "as I said before, she is now mine. She has become my minion, a part of the demon realm. I succeeded in taking the angelic part out of her," he finished proudly, looking pleased with himself.

"You-," Kiseki didn't know what to say, he was so furious. Yukari spoke for him.

"Oh my God, you shouldn't have done that!" she cried, stomping her foot in frustration. "That's extremely dangerous! You could have completely sucked the life right out of her and killed her! Her life must have been at stake! Doing that to a human, too. You sick, sick monster."

Garron narrowed his eyes at her. "Don't talk to me like that. And I didn't kill Ame, did I? In fact, I made her better. This 'angel' crap was making her less powerful, and more wishy-washy. She was vulnerable in both her human and angel state. Protecting others? Ha! What about herself, huh?"

Kiseki glared at Garron, but did not argue with him. He himself had worried over this very issue before.

"I just brought out her latent abilities and awakened her. She will open her eyes and become a brand new person! No, I should say, she will open her eyes and become a brand new weapon… _my_ brand new weapon." Looking back at her, Garron snapped his fingers. "Ame, time to wake up! Get up and come to me, will you?"

Ame's eyes – closed only moments before – flew open at his command. Moka as well as the others gasped. Ame's eyes were red... And not vampire-red, either; they weren't a bright-colored red. Ame's eyes were a deep blood red.

She struggled to get up despite the straps and her bounds. Ame's red eyes narrowed in annoyance at the obstacles on her wrists. Lucy, looking upset that Ame was getting all the attention, went over to cut the leather straps off of her. But Ame didn't need help; she looked at the straps on her wrists, and they burned right off and melted off of her skin. Ame wasn't hurt, though. It seemed that she had summoned the fire up herself.

"Oh, no…" Moka whispered, looking on in dismay. "Ame, what happened to you…?"

Garron, an unsurprised expression on his face, had sat down on one of the many leather sofas in the room. "C'mere, Ame."

"Yes, Master." Ame said this in a sickly sweet voice; not her own gentle tone. Kiseki looked at her in desperation and frustration as she sat down next to Garron on the sofa.

"No, not there, Ame." Garron did not look at her as he said this; he was staring at Kiseki, a hint of smile on his lips. Provoking him, no doubt. "Come sit _here_."

He patted his knee.

Kiseki clenched his fist as tight as he could so that he wouldn't do something stupid. Attacking Garron now and pummeling him – with Ame in front of him and Lucy in the background – was not a good idea. He had to wait… no matter how much it hurt him, he had to bear it.

Ame perched on Garron's lap, legs perpendicular to his. Her eyes were empty as she brought her arms up around Garron's neck.

"Stop it," Kiseki growled. "Don't order her around as you please."

"What's wrong?" Garron asked, eyes wide in mock concern. "Poor thing… are you _jealous_, perhaps?"

"Hell, Garron, even I'm jealous," Kurumu snapped, "she's our best friend, and she's never sat on any of our laps before! But that's not the point! I don't care what you plan to do with her; we won't let you. We're here to take Ame back."

Garron looked at her in amusement, then tipped his head back and laughed. Automatically, Ame smiled as well.

"Wow, I'm sorry, but did I hear you correctly? What did you want to do with her? Didn't I tell you before that she was mine, Kurumu? Why would I give her back after all the trouble I'd gone through? Ame here – this new and improved Ame – is the key to my master plan, and now that she's on my side… I'll be undefeatable. Of course, I'm not completely crippled without her either – I have my own army, for your information – but I think I like it better when she's like this. Isn't that right, Ame?"

"Yes, Master," she answered, stroking Garron's hair.

"Why are you doing this?" Moka asked, a pleading tone in her voice. "Just let her go! She never did anything to you. She doesn't deserve this…"

"Yes she does," Garron snapped, glaring at her. "She accepted that damn angel's stuff! She should know better than to trust them. And besides, Ame's very useful… Remember what I told you before, Ame? Repeat it to them please. It seems they need a little clarification."

"Master said he needed me," Ame obediently answered, face expressionless, "because I can penetrate barriers and shields and create my own. I can put a shield around his army and protect them, or I could put a barrier around Moka and the others and trap them there." Garron smiled at this, and Ame continued.

"I'm also easy prey," she said, twirling her hair around her finger in a very unnatural, non-Ame way. "I'm human, and therefore easier to control. It's is not difficult to manipulate a human. I'm also my Master's 'golden scale'… and now I have tipped the scale in Lord Garron's favor." Upon finishing, Ame smiled sweetly at Tsukune and his friends, blinking at them innocently with her blood red eyes.

"I'm gonna kill you when we're through with this," Kiseki warned Garron, teeth grinding together. "I swear…"

"You'll die before I do," Garron said in response, pushing Ame off of his lap. "Ame, make sure of that."

"Absolutely, Master."

Ame transformed then… and not to her angel self, either. Of course not. Black bat-like wings sprouted from her shoulder blades, and red horns grew out from her head. A horn-tipped tail flicked out from under her skirt, and a red, triangle-tipped devil's trident appeared in Ame's hands.

"Moka," she said, eyes empty, "Tsukune, Kurumu, Mizore, Kenta, Yukari… Kiseki." Ame blinked for a moment, as if confused, then continued again in her monotone voice. She uttered a single word.

"Die."

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong>

Oh wow, you wouldn't believe how difficult it was for me to write this chapter, LOL. Sure, it was very exciting and drama-filled (and I loved it, I can't deny that xP), but it was so unsettling putting Ame in this situation. I had fun with this chapter, though.

I hoped you all liked reading this! Garron finally reveals his true self to the others. And Ame finally becomes corrupted! Woo-hoo...

BTW, remember when Ame found Yukari's crystal ball? This was many chapters ago (I think in Chapter 12), but she saw her reflection in it, remember? And it was of her evil demonic self, with her hair flying everywhere and her eyes blood red. Well, Yukari's crystal ball did tell the future after all ;)

Alright, thanks for reading! I'll see you in the next chapter :D

- ACookieZ


	43. Chapter 43: Angel vs Demon

**Angel vs. Demon**

Chapter 43 – Angel vs. Demon

Her friends watched her as Ame slowly and steadily made her way towards them, pointing the devil's trident in front of her. Her eyes blazed like fire, but her facial expression was completely blank. Sparks flew and crackled around her, and her normally smooth, silky hair blew wildly around her face. You could practically see the evil red aura surrounding Ame. It was, admittedly, slightly terrifying.

"She's not gonna kill us," Kurumu remarked suddenly, scoffing. She tried to laugh the situation off. "She can't kill us - she's Ame! If she hurts a fly she'll start crying."

Upon hearing this, Ame sent a flaming arrow right by Kurumu's head. It whizzed past her ear and singed her hair, barely missing her face.

Kurumu's eyes widened, and she started backing away. "Nevermind, I take that back… she's definitely gonna kill us."

Ame drew back a few more flaming arrows and sent them flying at Kurumu. Frustrated now, Kurumu transformed into her true succubus form and dodged all of them. She then flew over at Ame and attempted to tackle her to the ground.

"I'm gonna hold her down!" she announced as she flew at her. "And will someone else tie her up please? We have to take her back _somehow_."

But no, Ame did not want to be tied up. She somehow got a hold of one of Lucy's whips, and lashed out at Kurumu. The tip of the whip wrapped itself around one of Kurumu's ankles, and dragged her down to the ground. Her wings were useless as she plummeted onto the floor.

"Ouch!" she gasped, holding her back. "Why do people keep slamming me onto different surfaces? I'm getting kinda sick of all this…"

Tsukune, unable to bear this anymore, made an effort to talk to Ame.

"Ame, stop all this! What are you doing, attacking your friends? Please, come back to your senses… let's go back to campus, alright?"

"Master says I can't," Ame whispered, flinching. "He speaks to me."

Tsukune had a blank look on his face, not comprehending. "But Garron's not talking… he's not saying anything."

"He speaks to me," Ame repeated, wincing again. She put a hand to her temples. "He tells me things…"

"Ame! Stop wasting time and get rid of them already!" Garron shouted from the other side of the room. He was just leisurely sitting on the sofa watching all this. He knew that no one would be able to attack him… To get to him, they had to go through Ame, and he knew that Ame was a better guard for him than any of his other minions right then. Why? Because Tsukune and the others obviously wouldn't be able to hurt Ame.

Kenta ripped off his dog tag and transformed, then. Without warning, he ran full-pelt at Ame and attempted to knock her over. He had his hands reached out for her waist, wanting to tackle her like a football player. He never even came close to her, though; with a single swish of her hand, Ame sent a large fire ball in Kenta's direction. It hit him in the stomach and forced him to fly backwards.

Ame didn't even flinch.

"Kenta!" Yukari cried, clearly upset. She ran over to him, afraid that he had been burnt. "I can't believe Ame did that to you… are you ok?"

Kenta coughed. "Hhhuuuu…"

Yukari trembled, then a resolute expression crossed her face. She whipped out her magic wand, and a dozen of her winged tarot cards materialized in mid-air. She waved her wand again, and they flew at Ame.

From where she was standing, Ame smirked. A scary, ambiguous smile came over her face, and she raised her trident high in the air.

The tarot cards were burnt to a crisp and turned to ashes before everyone's eyes.

"This is bad," Tsukune muttered, clearly nervous. "We're never going to be able to take Ame back at this rate…"

"Maybe if we attack her all at once?" Mizore suggested.

"No, that wouldn't work," Kiseki replied warily. "She doesn't have powers like us; she can create numerous defenses and weapons all at once. It would be no trouble for her to fend us off…"

"Then I guess… there's no choice but to let Inner Me out," Moka said, nodding her head decisively. "Tsukune, take off the rosario."

"Are you sure?" Tsukune asked, his hands hovering around her chest nervously. "I mean, it's not like we're dealing with just another monster; we don't want to attack Ame or anything. And then there's Garron and Ms. de Mone-"

"Tsukune, just do it!"

Relenting, he pulled her rosario off. Bright red light instantly filled the room; it grew and glowed and half-blinded several people. The screeching of bats could even be heard. A few seconds later, though, when the light subsided and the aura of power stopped increasing, Inner Moka appeared, standing there beside Tsukune in place of Outer Moka.

"It's certainly been a long time," she commented, her deep alto voice surprisingly no one but Garron and Lucy. "I kind of missed everyone… except for Garron and that demon-lady over there, of course. I suspected something fishy with you from the start." Inner Moka directed this at Garron, her eyes narrowed into slits. "But you didn't do anything too drastic or extreme, so I had nothing against you… but now I can't help but notice what you did to my friend over here."

"Who, Ame?" Garron snorted, rolling his eyes. "Please, not this again. I did her a favor, you hear? She is way more powerful now than she was before."

"That may be true," Moka agreed. "And now you're going to pay for that."

She sprinted up to Garron and was going to give him a roundhouse kick to his face, but Ame got there before she could. She made a slashing motion with her fist, and a streak of fire appeared before Moka. Moka was forced to stop in her tracks and assess the damages.

"You. Burned. My. Hair." Inner Moka's eyes flashed dangerously as she held up a fistful of her smooth silver hair. The very tip – say, two millimeters – of her hair was singed. This was nothing major, but Lucy chuckled in glee at this from her corner of the room.

"That's it," Moka declared, going into a fighting stance. "I'm not gonna go easy on you, Ame. I know you probably had no say in this new transformation of yours, but I definitely liked you a lot better before."

Ame made no reaction. If she heard Moka, she did not show it. She simply took up her devil pitchfork again and stabbed it at Moka.

Moka easily dodged this by jumping high into the air. She landed on the other side of Ame, right behind her. Smiling in satisfaction, Moka planted a good firm kick right in the small of Ame's back.

Ame flew across the room and slammed into the wall on the other side, making an Ame-shaped dent in it.

"AME!" Kenta cried, sitting up. He had recovered enough to speak properly. "Oh no, is she hurt…?"

"She's fine," Moka answered, backing up a few steps. "She's far from defeated, though. I can just feel the dark energy radiating off of her. And it's pissing me off."

Moka was right; Ame peeled herself off of the wall, and limped towards her. Blood dripped from her mouth, and most of her exposed skin was bruised. Moka took note of this. She knew that although Ame may have gained the powers of a high-level demon, she still had the physical body of a human… and she was still very fragile. Sure, her body had adjusted to the changes from her powers, but Garron had sucked out the angelic side of Ame… which was also the healing side. This was bad, because the dark demonic energy left in her would just force Ame to stand up and fight over and over again, no matter how much her weak physical body protested. It would destroy her sooner or later, and Moka had to stop it.

But how could she stop her if she couldn't even injure her?

Moka gritted her teeth, but she knew she had no choice but to knock Ame out. She had to make sure Ame was weak enough not to protest when she and the others took her back to campus. They would get her to the infirmary once they'd arrived.

A devastating thought crossed Moka's mind. _Even if we somehow manage to get Ame up there and away from Garron and his accomplice, would she return to normal? Or would she… still stay in her demonic form?_

Without Garron "breaking the spell" and releasing Ame from her trance, Ame was not going to return so simply. Moka knew this.

_First things first, though,_ she reminded herself. _Get Ame safe away from Garron, and then we'll worry about the rest._

With a loud yell, Moka sent a flurry of punches into Ame's stomach and torso. She tried to avoid the vital organs, but she had to weaken up Ame somehow. With Moka's rapid punching, Ame had no time to summon up defenses of her own or counter-attack Moka. She couldn't even reach for her pitchfork. Ame was forced back against a wall as Moka closed in on her.

Kiseki, watching from the sidelines, couldn't take this anymore. Why were they hurting Ame and not Garron instead? Who was the one behind all this? It was obviously Garron. It was his entire fault. So why should they be hurting Ame for his actions…?

"Stop!" he shouted to Moka, taking a step towards her. "Stop attacking Ame now. Nothing is her fault, okay? You should be punching Garron instead!"

"I need to get Ame back to her senses!" Moka replied through her teeth, not hesitating to send a kick at Ame's head. Ame's head jerked to the side and spit and blood flew into the air. "This is similar to what happened with Tsukune when he turned into a ghoul… he was out of control and completely dangerous – even to himself. I have to stop this."

"Hurting Ame isn't the way to stop this!"

Moka ignored him; she wasn't listening anymore. Kiseki gritted his teeth in irritation and swiftly approached them. To Moka's surprise, Kiseki forced himself in between her and Ame to take the blows that were given.

"What the hell are you doing?!" Moka demanded in a dangerously low tone. "Move out of the way. NOW. Do you want her to kill you?"

Kiseki didn't answer. Behind his broad shoulders, Ame was coughing up blood. She looked disoriented, and kept blinking at the guy in front of her.

Seizing this chance, Kiseki spun around and gripped Ame by the shoulders.

"Snap out of this, Ame!" he yells, right in her face. Some of his spit flew and landed on her nose, but Ame still made no reaction. "I know you're in there somewhere… the kind and gentle Ame would not just simply disappear! The cookie. The goddamn cookie! Remember when you offered me that cookie on the first day we met? I thought, 'What a strange girl; who the hell brings cookies with them on their first day of school and offers it to complete strangers?' But _you_ did. The Ame that carries food around with her to share with others has to come back! You hear me? Please, come back… come back to us. Return, Ame… please…"

At the end of his rant, Kiseki's face had scrunched up in agony, and his head dropped down to her shoulder. He closed his eyes in defeat.

Ame's face still remained blank and expressionless. But her eyes widened; they turned big and round, and welled up with tears. A single teardrop rolled down her right cheek.

The teardrop dripped off of her chin and fell onto her wrist… onto the glowing white dove on her angel bracelet.

Suddenly, the bracelet glowed with a bright blue light. The light enlarged and lit up the whole room, much like Moka's rosario did. It expanded and encompassed Ame, making Kiseki lean back in surprise. Where the blue light had touched him, his skin stung.

After a few steady heartbeats, the light subsided. Ame stood there in its wake, eyes closed, looking peaceful. With stunning realization, Kiseki saw that a fluffy, feathery, pure white angel's wing rested on Ame's right shoulder in place of the demon one. A glowing halo appeared overtop of Ame's head… and when she opened her eyes, her right eye was sky blue.

Kiseki cleared his throat nervously, unsure of how to react. "Ame…?"

Ame smiled at him, then turned to Moka. "There's no need to pummel me anymore; I'm not going to harm any one of you."

"DAMMIT!" Garron bellowed from his sofa. He sprang up and cursed some more. "I should have destroyed her angelic accessories when I had the chance!"

Lucy looked at him nervously from her corner, hand raised timidly. "But Master, if you had destroyed them, she wouldn't be able to produce those shields and barriers for you… without her holy accessories, Ame would just be a plain powerless human."

Garron responded with "F*CK" and began pacing around the sofa.

Ame, with newfound strength, slowly approached Garron.

"You're right," she said to him, her face very serious. "I was very surprised when I found out about your true colors. And although you lied to me, tortured me, and frightened me, I don't think I regret all those fun times we had before. Remember them, Garron? I'd like you to think of them – as I have – while I send you to your punishment."

She raised her hand up in front of her, and prepared to make a barrier once again. A few months ago, she had made a barrier to transport a monster bat and her baby to one of the many monster rainforests; now, she was prepared to do the same. Except, this time, it's with Garron… and she's definitely not sending him to a monster rainforest.

Ame was going to transport Garron and Lucy straight to the Headmaster's office.

Garron seemed to read Ame's expression; he understood what she was going to do.

"Lucy, get us out of here right now!" he commanded, backing away. "Hurry!"

Thus, it became a race between Lucy and Ame – a competition to see who could finish their spell faster. Ame closed her eyes and struggled to focus on a glowing sphere, while Lucy shut her eyes and started mumbling under her breath.

The ground beneath their feet started shaking. Ame lost her balance and, with a small gasp, fell on the ground. She lost her concentration, and Lucy took this chance to finish up her spell and make the earth quiver even more. It shook until the ground split open before Lucy and Garron, and – with satisfied smirks – the two demonic monsters jumped in the crack and disappeared. Tsukune rushed over and tried to catch them, but the ground closed right up even before he got there.

"Great, now what are we going to do?" he groaned, slapping his forehead. "We don't even know where they went! Or what their next plans are…"

"I think I know," Ame whispered, looking dejected. She began to tell them all she knew about Garron. Ame started from the very beginning (when she got taken and thrown down here by Lucy) to before when she blacked out. Tsukune and his friends listened with complete interest and undeterred attention; as much as they hate to admit it, they were entranced by Garron's tale.

"Oh my gosh, so now they're planning on unleashing this army of theirs and attacking Yokai Academy?" Yukari gasped. She clutched her hat to her head, looking furious. "They cannot get away with this!"

"That's right," Kurumu agreed, stepping in. "We have to get to the school before they do and warn the Headmaster!"

"We'd better hurry." Moka said, "We might still have some time left, though. Garron would need a lot of time to organize and instruct his army before they attack… and now that they've lost Ame, they're definitely a lot weaker. Plus, from what Ame said, he hadn't completely regained his powers yet. That would be a big advantage for us."

Tsukune nodded. "Moka's right… but we still have to hurry."

The group of friends discussed things a bit more, and then rushed themselves out of the dungeons. Of course, they did not take the old route back (with all the tunnels and monsters). Kiseki discovered a secret doorway in the chamber that they were in, and found an elevator behind it. Granted, it was very old - just one step ahead of the manual ones - and it was creaky and rusty (and possibly hazardous), but it did the job.

"I knew they had to have another way of getting here," Yukari muttered, getting on the elevator. "Garron and Lucy couldn't possibly get here so fast and easily if they had to go through all those tunnels every day."

"I didn't even know they had an elevator in this room," Ame said, looking at the elevator in amazement. "It was hidden so well that I didn't even notice…"

Now that Ame was safe, Kiseki found the heart to tease her again.

"It wasn't hidden very well at all, dummy," he snorted, stepping on the elevator as well. "There was only a piece of fabric over it – to act as, what, a curtain?"

Ame blushed, looking down. "I was preoccupied, you know. I was busy turning evil and all that. I didn't have time to look around for an elevator that I didn't know existed."

Kiseki sighed, but it wasn't one of his usual, annoyed ones. This sigh of his was happy; almost in relief. He finally had everyone back together again (including their "golden scale"), and that fact alone made him completely content.

Well, except for maybe one more thing. They had to find Garron.

And stop him from annihilating Yokai Academy and letting evil take over.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong>

Yay! So Ame's safe after all, and finally back to normal. Thank God, hahaha :P

So, what did you think of Garron's evil underground/dungeon lair? Review and stuff and let me know!

Oh, and P.S: the next chapter is in Ame's POV. Everything returns to normal procedures (hopefully) :D

- ACookieZ


	44. Chapter 44: A Surprise Delivery

**Angel vs. Demon**

Chapter 44 – A Surprise Delivery (Ame's POV)

"Ah, it feels so nice to see the sky again!" Kurumu breathed, flinging her arms out into the air.

"We've only been down there for a couple of hours, you know," Mizore said, not impressed with Kurumu's behavior.

"I'm happy to be out too, truthfully," I agreed. "It felt so suffocating down there…"

"I know, right!" Kurumu cried, slinging an arm around my shoulders. "We winged monsters need to stick together, y'know? We can totally relate."

I smiled, giving Kurumu a big hug. I had missed everyone so much… Even though I was only separated from them for less than a day, it felt so incredibly wonderful to be back with them again. Especially after all they've gone through… I mean, all those levels and monsters just to see me chained up and corrupted? It must have been hard for them. They had filled me in on the way to the school campus, so I knew. And I totally felt responsible…

"Don't worry, Ame," Tsukune reassured me, patting me on the back. How he knew how I felt, I had no idea. I guess he was just that intuitive. "It's not your fault; we're going to fix this problem together. And we'll start by informing the Headmaster…"

"Yeah," I agreed. "We'd better hurry up."

My friends and I practically ran up the stairs and barged into the Headmaster's office. Screw booking an appointment or informing the front desk; we had more urgent matters at hand.

"Headmaster!" I exclaimed, panting and out of breath. "We have… something very important to tell you."

"It regards the future of this school." Tsukune added solemnly.

The Headmaster smiled knowingly, and – although I couldn't see the upper half of his damn face – his eyes seemed to be twinkling.

"So," he began, completely ignoring the grim atmosphere, "I see you're back safe and sound, eh, Ame? I told you it was going to be a wonderful experience, didn't I…?"

I almost rolled my eyes. "It was far from a wonderful experience. But yes, I am back; it's almost a miracle."

"That's because I was there," Kiseki added, smirking.

"Oh, ha-ha, very funny," I retorted, "Because your name means 'miracle', huh?"

Kiseki grinned, nodding his head, then snapped back to attention and regained his composure. He looked at each of us before beginning his story on what happened after the group entered the dungeon tunnels. He tried to abbreviate what he could (we were running out of time, after all), but the others couldn't help but cut in once in a while to add in a few details and explain their part of the situation.

Kiseki continued all the way up until when they had reached the door, and I took over then. I explained – not excluding any details – everything that Garron had told me before I blacked out and turned into "Demonic Ame". I didn't remember anything after that, so the others had to brief over the fight scene, but I continued on afterwards.

"Oh, I see," the Headmaster said once we finished, not looking the least bit surprised. "But, just so you know, the school had no part in planting those monsters down there in the tunnels… nor did we have any part in aiding Garron in his evil acts. If I had known they were-"

"Yes, we know," Kurumu interrupted, anxiously hopping from one foot to another. "The monsters said something about their superiors promising them things and gaining power and stuff… Not you're doing, I'm sure."

"Yeah, and our main issue now is the safety of the school and the monsters here – staff and students alike," Moka said in a worried tone. "We came here to warn you about all of Garron's plans."

"Hmm," the Headmaster pondered, elbows resting on the desk in front of him. "And now that you accomplished that… what do you expect _me_ to do?"

We were silent for a few moments. He was right: what _did_ we expect him to do? Call up everyone to prepare them for battle and jeopardize their lives? Evacuate the academy and let Garron have his fun with it? It was obviously asking too much to have them stop Garron completely… he had an entire army behind him at his will, after all.

"W-Well," I began, thinking furiously, "I thought maybe we could try to protect the school or something. Not fight back, necessarily, but maybe create a barrier to shield the school from Garron's attack?"

"And then what?" the Headmaster inquired. I could almost see him raise his eyebrows at me. "What would we do after that? Knowing Garron, if he couldn't sabotage the school, he would probably move on to the human world. Or the rest of the monster world aside from the school, of course. Not to mention the fact that creating such a huge barrier would be extremely difficult and would require the concentration of many experienced and powerful monsters. And time, of course… that seems to be something we're awfully short on."

I bit my lip, fuming. Tsukune stepped forward, then, and voiced his opinion.

"It really doesn't matter what we do, Headmaster, as long as everyone else is safe. And to guarantee that, Garron and his demon army would have to be stopped." He said this with such confidence and conviction that I almost believed we could achieve it. Tsukune continued on in an assertive tone. "You might not want the teachers or students to risk their lives fighting against Garron and his army, but that would not stop us – and some others – from trying. From what he told us, he has not fully regained his powers yet. His army is only powerful in numbers and quantity… but if we pick at their weak points and aim towards the root of the problem – Garron Lived himself – then we should be able to defeat his army, no doubt about that. Protecting those important to us is what truly matters."

I breathed in slowly, my eyes turning watery from all the pent up emotion from his speech. Tsukune was right; we would be able to conquer Garron. He wasn't undefeatable. He was a powerful enemy, sure, but if we combine our powers together and work as a team, nothing was impossible. Damn, that sounded terribly cheesy and cliché, and I never truly believed in that saying until I came to Yokai Academy, but now that I was here with all my friends and allies beside me, I truly believed it. With all of my heart and soul.

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. _Way to ruin an emotional moment,_ I thought, mentally rolling my eyes.

"Who is it?" the Headmaster asked.

"The mailmonster," a male voice replied. "I have a special delivery for… Ame Kanmuri?"

"I didn't know that the school had delivery," I whispered to Mizore, frowning suspiciously. "I thought they only used messenger-bats… and to deliver the package to our door, too…"

"If the packages are too heavy, they get a 'mailman' to deliver them," Mizore explained, whispering back. "They're especially good at tracking their targets – sorry, err, 'customers' down. Even better at it than me, I'd say…"

"Come in!" The Headmaster snapped his fingers, and the double doors sprang open. An ordinary-looking mailman (in blue uniform and a cap, of course) stood at the doorway, holding a wrapped and decorated box. There was even a ribbon on top!

"For me?" I gasped, hurrying over to take it from his hands. "But it's not even my birthday… I mean, there's nothing to celebrate. Are you sure this present is for me?"

"Yes," the mailmonster answered, dipping his head. "Now will you just sign here, please…?"

I scribbled my initials on the clipboard, watched the mailmonster leave, and brought the packaged box back to my friends. I raised it up to my ear to listen to it (being the paranoid person that I was), and even shook it around a bit, but it didn't seem dangerous. Nothing exploded yet, at least. The box did feel a little heavy, though. It felt like the weight of a large rabbit or a small puppy or something.

"Open it!" Kenta urged, peering around my arm. His eyes twinkled in excitement like he was the one receiving the present. "Hurry!"

I ruffled his hair in affection before I pulled the blue ribbon loose. It fell to the ground lifelessly, and all that was left was the pink and yellow polka-dotted box. I held in my breath, ignored everyone's eyes on me (and the box), and opened up the lid.

Immediately, a foul stench hit me. It smelled like the rotting flesh of a dead animal. Looking down into the box, I realized it _was_ the rotting flesh of a dead animal… _my_ dead animal.

"Midnight!" I gasped, a horrified expression on my face.

"Who-?" Kiseki began, then stopped mid-sentence. "Oh… oh _sh*t_…"

"No…" I whispered, trembling. I lowered my cat to the ground, still clutching the box. "This can't be…"

"Are you sure that's your cat?" Yukari asked gently, squatting down beside me. "I mean, it could be any black cat-"

"It's Midnight!" I practically screamed at her. I knew I was overreacting, but I couldn't seem to control myself. It was the dead body of the animal I'd slept with for years; it was the dead body of the animal I'd fed, cried on, played with, and talked to.

"This is most definitely a threat," Moka said, pursing her lips. "A warning, perhaps. It must have come from Garron or someone else in his army…"

"It was Garron," I whispered, a pained expression on my face. It was quickly replaced with fury, though. "I know it was him."

"How are you sure?" Kiseki inquired. "I'm not doubting you, no, but the body of it doesn't seem to be mutilated, maimed, or hurt in any way…"

"That's just it!" I exclaimed, tearing up. "Look, her eyes are still open. Open, glassy, and empty. Soulless. And see how limp the body is? Have you guys not seen Garron when he hunted the squirrels and the other animals? He sucked the life out of Midnight, plain and clear! Her very essence, gone…" My breath got caught in mid-sentence, and I couldn't continue. I did not weep, but I was getting pretty darn close to it. But I was getting even closer to absolutely despising Garron, and I did not feel that kind of emotion very often.

"Oh no, I'm so sorry…" Tsukune put a comforting hand on my shoulder while I grieved. The colorful ribbon and wrapping paper did not seem appropriate surrounding Midnight's corpse; it was like Garron put it there on purpose to mock me. I was sure that was the case.

"It looks like this may be serious," the Headmaster remarked, standing up from his leather armchair. "Alright, I'll put the school in lockdown mode, how about that? You youngsters said that his first goal was to annihilate Yokai Academy… so he has to head here first. All staff and students shall be on their guards and on high alert, but will be prepared to fight back and attack. It will be tricky, I'll admit, but we cannot allow the school or the inhabitants here to be in any danger."

Despite the current situation (and the fact that I was holding the dead body of my cat), I cracked a smile. Yes, we would stand our grounds and fight for what we believed in – what is right. And Tsukune, Moka, and the others – myself included – will be in battle as well.

The Headmaster walked over to the speakerphones and mumbled into the receiver. Probably to his secretary to inform her of the plan. A short while later, her monotone voice blared through the intercoms, announcing the situation and the procedures. The silence only lasted a few moments before the screaming and the yelling was heard; commotion and chaos swept through the academy as students and teachers alike stampeded the hallways and pounded on doors.

The Headmaster sighed warily. "This is why I didn't want to do this."

"What do we do now?" Kenta whispered, tugging on Moka's sleeve. "Do we wait? For… them?"

"No," the Headmaster answered for Moka. "We have to take more precautionary measures." He turned to me. "Ame and I – along with a few of the other teachers – will combine our powers and create a big barrier around the campus. We might not make it in time – who knows when Garron's army will attack – but we will try to cover as much ground as possible."

He then turned to Tsukune, Moka, Kiseki, and the others. "You guys can help by contributing your powers. Like I said before, all powerful monsters will exert some of their energy into completing the barrier around Yokai Academy. After that is finished, you eight are all in charge of organizing the students and instructing them on the attacks, things like that. I leave the rest to you. And Ms. Nekonome might be of help, in case you need someone in power. Although, I must admit, she's not that intimidating or calm-headed," he added, smiling.

I took a deep breath, nodding. I had to get myself together and get into that certain state of mind. This was all for real now; the fate of our school – and possibly the world – rested in our hands. I couldn't be indecisive or cowardly about it. I had to be strong… for others, if not for me.

"All right, let's get to it!"

We exited the building and headed for central campus. It seemed like an eternity since I'd first set foot here, feeling like a scared newbie, and now here I am trying to save the school – and the world – from evil. Well, maybe not that extreme, but to me it was a pretty big deal.

By the time we got there to the cross in the middle of the school campus, many others were gathered there. Ms. Ririko, along with many other teachers and quite a few of the other powerful students, were present. They looked worried and anxious, but almost all of them had determined expressions on their faces. I'd like to think that I was one of those people.

"Everyone, gather in a circle around the cross!" the Headmaster instructed. He held out his outstretched arms, palms facing upwards. "Join hands, everyone, and concentrate on the flow of energy passing through each of you. Send it like ripples or waves; make it flow through the bodies of the person next to you, and direct the flow… towards Ame."

I gasped, jerking my head up to stare at the Headmaster. I couldn't help the two words that escaped out of my mouth. "Why me?"

God, I sounded like a whiny, incompetent child just then, but to have everyone's powers gather up inside of me… just the mere thought of it was terrifying. And they were all looking at me, too! I couldn't even handle their penetrating stares and looks of curiosity; how was I going to be able to withstand all their pent up energy?

"Well, it can't be me," the Headmaster said, shaking his head slowly. "I'm here to direct and control the current of energy; I'm not a vessel for this kind of thing. It could possibly be fatal." He lightly cleared his throat, and then quickly continued. "But I'm sure you're up for it. Besides, you're our golden scale… aren't you, Ame?" The Headmaster said the last sentence with an ambiguous smile.

I frowned. "Wait, how did you know about th-?"

"Let's begin, everyone!" the Headmaster shouted, raising his voice to be heard across the murmurs of everyone else. Immediately, the voices died down. Everyone closed their eyes and dipped their heads in concentration… everyone but me. I was the last one to shut my eyes. Even when I did, I felt myself still staying tense and anxious.

"Relax," the Headmaster whispered, closing his hand over my right one. "Just let the energy flow freely into you, and gather it up like you would your own. Concentrate to turn it into a big enough barrier to encompass the entire school."

Kiseki, who held my left hand in his, gently rubbed his thumb over the back of my hand comfortingly. I gave his a soft squeeze in return, and breathed out slowly. I was going to do this… I will be able to do this.

Squeezing my eyes tighter, I waited in anticipation for the waves of energy to hit me.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong>

Hi y'all! :D

Well, I hope you've enjoyed the story so far. It's finally getting to the really-exciting bits! Haha, I'm so excited… But, let's just say that the excitement doesn't stop here. There are still many parts later on that will shock and surprise you ;)

Oh, and if you're wondering how Garron got a hold of Midnight in the first place… Ruby (the cat-lover) was originally supposed to take care of the cat in Ame's stead, but obviously she couldn't keep an eye on her all the time. I suspect that Garron sent Lucy or some other minion into the room to kidnap Midnight. It would be quite easy for them, considering that they could appear and disappear in random places with merely a crack in the ground.

Anyhow, review and let me know what you think! I love reading the comments you guys leave me :)

Ok, rest well and happy reading! x)

- ACookieZ


	45. Chapter 45: Preparation

**Angel vs. Demon**

Chapter 45 – Preparation

Have you ever been electrocuted before? Fortunately, I have not. And I plan to keep it that way. But if I ever _was_ electrocuted, though, I suspected that this was what it would feel like.

No, I'm not talking about high-voltage electrocution where the victim passes out instantly. It might be more similar to – heavens forbid – sticking something into an electric socket. Not enough to kill you, but enough to shock you.

That was what it felt like to receive all the powers flowing like currents into my body. In the beginning, it felt like I was being continuously shocked and electrocuted, wave after wave. I couldn't control it whatsoever; all those power flowing through me and into me weren't stable at all. The energy entered me, and I wasn't able to collect it firmly or shape it in any way. It wasn't even lodged solidly inside of me! It never stayed in one place. The energy – living, breathing, pure, raw _power_ – bounced around in my body and threatened to leap out of my fingertips like it knew it didn't belong there. I was surprised that I hadn't burned off Kiseki's or the Headmaster's fingers yet!

Somehow, perhaps by sheer will power, I forced the growing energy inside of me to listen. Although it felt like I was going to explode or blow up any second, I molded the power collected inside of me and shaped it to become a giant glowing sphere. I saw the sphere in my mind's eye, a shining ball radiating pure energy.

Maybe it was from all of Moka's training, or maybe it was because I had gotten used to and comfortable with my own powers. Either way, I felt the different ripples of energy flowing into me – literally felt it. I could sense Moka's strong, glowing, bright red currents entering my body; I could tell when Kiseki's shining, powerful, deep blue ripples of energy washed into me; I could detect Mizore's pale blue, glistening energy flowing in my body; Kurumu's bright orange strands of power; Yukari's glittery yellow ribbons of energy; Kenta's fluffy silver puffs of power; Tsukune's smooth, calming, powerful burgundy… so on and so forth. I could even tell when the other teachers sent their share of energy into me! Each had its own distinct and unique color, flavor, taste, and sense. It was so overwhelming I felt like I could faint…!

Mentally shaking myself, I focused on sorting these powers out… or, more likely, combining them. I gathered them up and added them to my powerful sphere of energy (that steadily got bigger and bigger). I did not try to mush them into each other and squish them all together; instead, I fit each piece where it felt comfortable and where it belonged. Like a jigsaw puzzle, all the parts fit together perfectly if you found the right spots.

I felt the hair around my shoulders fizzle and crack with charged-up energy. It levitated off of my shoulders and whipped around my face. Not only my hair behaved this way, though; I could feel my school skirt – and any other loose pieces of clothing on me, really – flying up and around. There was no wind, though. In fact, the air and atmosphere was completely still. Yet I could feel my feet lifting off of the ground until only the tips of my toes touched the surface.

As yet more power collected inside of me, I levitated higher. Loose bits of energy whipped around my body and nipped at my exposed skin; their spinning and "whipping", however, managed to get me even higher off of the ground. Eventually I even dragged and lifted Kiseki and the Headmaster along with me… a few gasps and grunts coming from the others on the opposite end of the circle later confirmed that I had gotten them hanging in midair as well. I did not open my eyes to check, though; I did not want to break the connection and lose my concentration. Taking this as an encouraging sign, I concentrated even harder to collect all those strands and waves of energy, making sure none leaked out or got lost.

It was not as easy as one might think, though… It was something similar to cupping your hands and having it filled up with water, and trying not to spill a single drop. Yeah, difficult, I know.

A few moments later, though, when I felt that the sphere of energy was almost complete, we started to spin. And I don't mean "spin" as in twirling around individually and breaking off contact. We – with our hands still conjoined and clasped tightly together – began to spin as a whole. The circle formation we were in spun around and around as we were lifted even higher off of the ground. It was like a merry-go-round! A dizzying, powerful ride charged with pure raw energy. I had to swallow and hold my breath multiple times not to throw up or let out a single drop of the collected power.

Eventually, we arrived at would I would like to call the "summit". The ball of energy grew and expanded till it couldn't be contained in my body any longer, and that's when I let it go. As we dropped from the air and landed back on ground, I envisioned an enormous glowing dome over Yokai Academy, and set the compressed energy free.

It escaped and burst out of me, flying in every which direction. The energy spread outwards and upwards until it reached the top of our school buildings. That's when the droplets of power collected together and smoothed themselves into my round, glowing half-sphere. I had my eyes closed, so I couldn't physically see it happening, but I could feel it. It turned out exactly how I willed it to be.

I opened my eyes and looked up only when the exclaiming, gasping, and murmurings erupted.

"Wow, Ame, would you look at that!" one of my teachers exclaimed, pointing at the dome. "It's… it's…"

"Magnificent," another teacher finished. "I've never seen anything like it before."

Indeed, I was quite impressed. Not solely with myself, per se. I was so extremely proud of all of us. Without the people here today, there would be no shield; it would be nothing without them. All those shields and mini-barriers I created before? Yeah, they were nothing compared to this. This barrier was enormous, strong, tough, and radiated power. The shields I'd conjured up before all had a slight golden hue to it, but this one… this one was bright, brilliant and colorful, yet had no specific colors at all. All of our powers, energy, concentration, and hard work merged into this beautiful glowing dome.

Kurumu sped over and enveloped me in one of her famous suffocating hugs.

"Oh Ame!" she cried, laughing. "I'm so proud of you! I thought we wouldn't make it… but we did!"

"Yeah," Yukari agreed, smiling as well. "It felt like my powers were being drained out of me, then replaced with other new, strange-feeling ones. It was a unique experience, to say the least."

I grinned at her in relief. Not only was I happy that everyone found it interesting, I was relieved that we had finished in time. We made it before Garron and his army decided to take over!

As soon as Kurumu finally let go of me, though, Kenta bounded up and squeezed me senseless again.

"Did I do good? Did I do good?" he cried, jumping up and down. "I mean, I know I sent some of mine over to you, but did you get it? What was it like?"

I scrunched my face up real good, pretending – or trying to – look extra disgusted. "Well…"

Kenta's face dropped, and his mouth automatically went into pout-mode. "What is it? Were my powers… bad?"

A wide grin broke across my face. Who was I kidding? I couldn't pretend to joke about it anymore with Kenta like this. Smiling, I ruffled his hair and flicked his little doggy ears.

"Yours was like silver cotton candy," I whispered to him, bending down to his ears. "Sweet, fluffy, and soft. But it had a burst of power, too. Just like a sugar rush."

"Yay!" Kenta grinned, clearly pleased. He bounced back to the others, probably telling them all about how sweet his powers were. "Sweet", literally. I laughed at myself; I even had the heart to joke now.

Suddenly, I felt a strong pair of arms wrap around me from behind. Twisting my neck up, I saw that it was Kiseki.

"You were amazing," he whispered, grinning in pride. "I knew you could do it."

"_We_ could do it," I corrected, elbowing him in the stomach playfully. "Without any of you, I'd be useless."

"You're right," Kiseki said, lips pursed in dissatisfaction. "You always need someone to please and protect, don't you?"

"What's wrong with that?"

"Nothing. It just worries me sometimes… I mean, haven't you ever thought about how people might take advantage of that? And why don't you ever think about yourself? That just pisses me off."

I was silent for a moment, thinking. Finally, I answered.

"But I know you guys won't take advantage; you're my friends," I replied confidently, smiling to myself. "And as for taking care of myself… well, that's what you're here for, right?"

"What do you mean?" Kiseki asked. He clearly knew; I could see it in his eyes, in the way he was trying to hide his smile. He was just being a jerk and teasing me, like usual.

"I mean, you've always been there to save me from myself." I answered seriously. "You're like the knight in shining armor… except on a black horse, not a white one."

"Why a black horse?" Kiseki asked, irritated. He clearly thought I was discriminating.

I shrugged. "I dunno. It just suits you." At least, I thought so. With Kiseki's shaggy, dark brown-black hair and deep green eyes (not to mention his tall, muscular, imposing frame), I couldn't see him on any horse other than a majestic black stallion. A pretty, graceful, white pony for princes? Please. He'd crush it in a second. Either that or the horse would run away from him, unable to take the abuse.

Suddenly, another thought came to my mind. "Besides… the ones on white horses – you know, the people that pretend to act all gentlemanly and nice – are very suspicious, don't you think?" With a pang, Garron's image appeared in my head. As much as I'd hate to admit it, he was like the gentleman on the white horse. And later… well, you know how that turned out.

"Huh."

"Ahem," the Headmaster cleared his throat, a few feet away from us. "I don't want to ruin your celebration or anything, but we are nowhere near finished. We are not even close to securing Yokai Academy."

Kiseki straightened up, looking all business again.

"Remember what I asked you guys to do before?" the Headmaster asked. "It might seem calm here, but inside the building, the students are freaking out. I have put the entire school in lockdown mode, though, so no one can get out – or in, for that matter – before the barrier was ready. But now that it's up and working, I doubt the students will be contained. I suggest you better hurry and get to work."

"How are we supposed to control all those people, though?" Mizore asked, while she unwrapped a lollipop. Funny thing… I noticed she always sucked on those lollipops of hers when she's either very hot or very nervous.

"That's for you to decide," the Headmaster answered. Not very helpful. "What happened to the assertive aura you guys had before? Especially you, Tsukune. Put those charismatic traits to use, all of you."

That was the best encouragement we could get out of the Headmaster. On that note, he swiftly turned around and strode away from us, back into the building. He probably had other urgent matters of his own to attend to. The teachers and other students dispersed as well, hesitantly leaving central campus.

"Alright, I guess we'd better get going!" Kurumu announced, trying to sound peppy and encouraging. "We've got students to organize!"

"Yeah, we'll manage our own army," Yukari added, eyebrows knotted in determination. "We can beat old Garron any day."

Despite the current situation, I managed to laugh. Chatting and discussing our plans, we headed back to the main buildings.

* * *

><p>"Holy crap," Kurumu said as we rounded the corner of the building and approached the grassy school fields. "Is it just me, or did we suddenly gain a whole lot more students…?"<p>

"It's just you," Yukari answered practically. "The numbers didn't change… it just seems a lot." She gulped. "Probably because they're all gathered here. In one place."

The sea of students looked menacing. They weren't waiting in anticipation and impatience like they did for Ms. Nekonome when she made announcements on that big rock. The students right now were – like the Headmaster said – "freaking out". The student body seemed to be moving this way and that as a whole, with everyone restlessly milling about, stomping their feet, and yelling. Ah, yes, the yelling. I couldn't even form coherent thoughts because everyone was so loud! I had to resist the urge to cover my ears with my hands like a child.

Tsukune surveyed the sea of faces, nervously wiped a bead of sweat away from his forehead, and stood atop of the rock that Ms. Nekonome always used to stand on during her many announcements. Cupping his hands together near his mouth like a megaphone, he began to speak.

"Everyone, up here! Please listen to what I have to say."

I saw Kurumu roll her eyes, and I couldn't help but smile. That was Tsukune for you, still acting kind and polite even in such a situation. Had it been anyone else, they would have been screaming profanities right about then.

When no one paid any attention to him, Tsukune raised his voice a little louder. "Please, everyone, listen up! This concerns not only your futures, but the future of the entire school! And possibly even the rest of the world!"

Still, nobody listened to Tsukune. I saw Moka fuming beside Tsukune, and – truthfully – even I was starting to get annoyed. Did these people really not care about anything besides their own safety? Did they really want to have nothing to do with any of this…?

"Shut up already!" a loud voice from the crowd shouted. "Who care about the rest of the world? I just want to leave this damn school as fast as possible!"

"Yeah!" another voice agreed. "It's already too dangerous to stay! Why do they want to keep us locked up like this? The Headmaster's nuts!"

A chorus of "yeah"s and "that's right"s went up in the crowd. A hopelessly uncertain expression on his face, Tsukune stood there awkwardly. He was obviously trying to figure out a good way to solve this situation.

Kurumu stepped in and helped out a bit.

"All of you guys are such idiots!" she yelled angrily, huffing. Her arms were crossed in front of her chest. "Even if you escape this school to wherever you want to go, who says you'll be safe there? What if Garron and his army conquer Yokai Academy and then moves on to the rest of the world? What will you do then? Not only will the school be destroyed, all your family and friends will probably be gone, too."

Uncertain murmurs rippled through the crowd. Gaining confidence, Tsukune spoke again.

"That's what we're trying to prevent from happening!" he shouted, giving a small smile of encouragement to the others. "To ensure everyone's safety, Garron and his army would need to be stopped. If we work together as a team, we would be able to stop him!"

"The man's right," Kiseki agreed, slapping Tsukune on the shoulder. "Why should we run and hide from our enemy when we can beat them face-to-face right here? I know for a fact that I'm not scared to do it. I'm confident that – with our strengths combined – we'll be able to defeat them."

"We'll need to separate all of you into groups – depending on your strengths and weaknesses – and we'll all collaborate to save the school and protect those dear to us." Moka said. I smiled as I noticed the boss-side of her emerge. "We will stand our ground and fight!"

"Now who's with us?" Kenta shouted, pumping a fist into the air.

Some people in the audience cheered, and others shouted words of encouragement and agreement. I smiled in relief; it seemed like we could get the students to co-operate after all.

Suddenly, one girl from the crowd stepped forward and pointed a finger at us.

"And who are you to say all this?" she demanded in shrill voice. "Who are you to tell us what to do?"

The crowd went quiet again, and I noticed that many students began to have uncertain looks on their faces. I groaned internally; trust one student to ruin it for the rest of us.

"Yeah, what if you got all of us killed?" another student demanded. "Hell, we'd die either way! It's either: stay here and fight and get killed by the enemy, or run away and get hunted down and killed by the enemy!"

Moka frowned at this in worry… probably because he had a point. I for one did not want anyone here to get hurt. So isn't asking them to stay a bit too much? It's the same as asking them to entrust their lives to us, without promising to return it safe and in one piece.

"You're just students like us!" another boy shouted angrily. "Who asked you to be in charge? Who even wants you here?"

"I do," a deep booming voice said. "And I vouch for them to stay in charge."

"Who…?"

I spun this way and that, trying to locate the whereabouts of the voice. It seemed to be coming from everyone at once, and it was messing with my head.

"Wait, this sounds like…" Yukari began, a look of disbelief on her face.

Kurumu shook her head, seeming panicky. "No, it can't be! Why would he come all the way up here…? He already made it clear that he wanted nothing to do with us, or this situation!"

"Wait, who are you guys talking about?" I asked helplessly, feeling befuddled and confused.

Before they could answer, though, a dark, massive shadow loomed over us (and half of the people in the student body). It was like the sun had been covered in half by something enormous. The beating of wings could be heard, and stale air blew past us (created by the wings' flapping). For some reason, I didn't wish to know who – or what – had made that happen.

"It's true," Moka gasped. "He came!"

"Who did?" I squeaked nervously, my shoulders hunched up tight.

Kiseki tilted my head upwards. "Look, Ame. That's the harbinger we were talking to you about! From the tunnels, remember?"

I looked up and my breath caught in my throat. It wasn't like I didn't want to breathe; I just couldn't seem to be able to comprehend what I was seeing. It just didn't seem real. This _creature_ (there was no other way to describe him) was not anything like Moka and the others described. What did they call him, Sun? No, it was something like Apollo. Hell, Kurumu had told me he was an average man! But this, this monster was nothing like your average man.

Behind me, below the rock, I could hear the wave of students gasping as well. So I wasn't alone in this; I wasn't the only one in shock.

I assumed that the harbinger had transformed into his true monster form, for no "human-looking" monster could be like this. This monster was twice the size of Kiseki in height (which was pretty damn tall), had long grey horns the size of a human's forearms, grey rock-hard-looking demon wings (similar to the bat-like ones Kurumu and I both have) which spanned about the size of a small jet, and stone-hard claws for hands. A lethal-looking grey tail whipped back and forth behind him. And his eyes – they reminded me of mine. The left one was blood-red – no, vampire red, and the right one (although not blue) was amber gold. This harbinger – Apollo? – just radiated power and an imposing aura, even as he was perched on top of the school roof. He looked just like a real live gargoyle, with his grey monster qualities.

"A harbinger!" someone shrieked from the crowd. "Oh my God!"

Some students were even in denial. "This can't be true! They died out a long time ago… that one's just an imposter! Fake!"

The harbinger known as Apollo reared up to his full height and glared down at all the students.

"I did not come all the way up here just to be insulted by the likes of you. Who said I was an imposter?"

Apollo reared back his head and exhaled through his mouth, blowing billows of smoke and flames of fire up into the air. They blew up and combusted in midair like fireworks, and that seemed to do the job; it silenced most of the noisy students.

"It doesn't matter," Apollo sneered, an apathetic expression on his face. "With the attitude that you guys have, you're all going to be destroyed anyway."

No one dared to oppose the harbinger. The magnificent creature cleared his throat, then spoke to Tsukune and the others.

"About the offer you made before we parted," he began, not looking very grateful. "I decided to take you up on it. I will agree to fight with the right side. Not for you guys specifically, mind… just the right side."

Kenta grinned, jumping up in glee. "I knew you'd change your mind!"

Apollo smiled grimly. "Let me just warn you, though… the enemy is very powerful. Even with my help, we still might not succeed. Unless these useless minor monsters do something about it," – he shot a glare towards the rest of the student body – "then we might be defeated."

A tentative hand rose from the crowd. "I'd like to help, if you don't mind," a voice squeaked nervously. "I really like this school, and I wouldn't want it to be destroyed."

A few others agreed with her, and soon everyone was in agreement again. There was chattering in the crowd as everyone tried to organize and devise a plant to defeat the enemy. My heart swelled up in pride at everyone's eager participation. Even if it was "forced" by the harbinger, everyone was still helping… and that was what mattered.

I noticed that Apollo looked on in satisfaction, and glanced at Tsukune and the others quite frequently.

Tsukune stepped forward, towards the ancient creature, and bowed his head.

"Thank you," he said sincerely. "Thank you for coming to help us."

Kurumu, Kenta, Mizore, Moka, and Yukari all murmured thank-you's as well. I noticed that only Kiseki stubbornly said nothing.

Apollo said nothing as well; instead, he stuck his chin up a little higher in the air. I could detect the slight smile in the corner of his lips, though. They curved slightly upwards, even though he attempted to hide it.

I smiled to myself. Even though I could tell that him and Kiseki did not get along well, they were actually quite similar in a lot of aspects. Pride, for example. I sighed warily. There were so many… "proud" ones in the monster community.

I felt strangely content, though. With Apollo by our side, the rest of the students and teachers, and of course my close group of friends, maybe Garron really could be defeated easily. Maybe… maybe we'll all be safe in the end, and we could continue to lead blissful, happy lives.

I faced the sky, determination in my eyes.

_Bring it on, Garron, _I thought. _Whatever you do, we'll be ready for it!_

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong>

Ah! Thanks for reading. x)

I hope I surprised you in this chapter. You never thought Apollo would appear, did ya? ;)

Ok, well, I'll get to work on the next chapter. The real battle starts soon! REAL soon.

Stay tuned and take care!

- ACookieZ


	46. Chapter 46: Anticipation

**Angel vs. Demon**

Chapter 46 – Anticipation

It was hard not to notice the giant harbinger perched on top of the main school building. He had sent more than one terrified student fleeing the courtyard and away to the fields! Still, I was glad that he was there. With Apollo resting on top of the roof like a sentinel, it was hard not to feel protected.

Apollo insisted that he stay there to survey the surroundings, though, in case there were any signs of threats. Almost all of us were on our guards, as well, anticipating Garron's attack.

Moka – being the smart, intelligent girl that she was – had already separated everyone into groups. Some of them were sent to the forest, some of them to guard the school buildings, some sent to guard the gates, and some left to stay on campus. My friends and I were supposed to go wherever we were needed… to wherever Garron was, really.

But right now, as you must have guessed, we really had nothing more to do except wait. And waiting here was boring, too. I had no one to talk to; I was the only one left here on school campus. My job was to just guard the area and make sure that the dome and the barriers weren't damaged. Yeah, really, I got to do all the exciting frontline fighting, didn't I?

Tsukune, Moka, Kiseki and the others were all elsewhere directing their "army" of students. Well, not literally in that sense; our makeshift groups were nowhere close to anything like Garron's army (or at least what I'd imagined it would be). There was also the fact that we did not make empty promises, threaten or harm any of our peers in any way. I'm sure that Garron (or Lucy, depends) would have at least traumatized some of his subordinates.

So here I stood, just chilling around below the building that Apollo was perched on (he insisted that he guard me)… having nothing to do. Not to mention worrying like crazy.

_What if Garron already penetrated the barriers without me knowing?_ I thought to myself, wringing my hands. _He could have already taken down some of my friends and classmates! _My breathing sped up and became heavier. _What if the others were in danger..? Moka is powerful, but - Oh my God, Tsukune is nowhere close to her! How is she supposed to attack Garron without him pulling her rosario off?_

I closed my eyes, trying to stop hyperventilating. I was such a worrywart. Kiseki was right… as he had told me time and time again, I needed to calm down.

_Argh, but how can I calm down when almost everyone I care about is in danger?_

I heard a noise behind me, it snapped me out of my melancholy thoughts.

"Ame Kanmuri," Apollo's deep voice greeted, stopping short a few meters away from me. He was back in his human form again, not taking up as much space as before. In his human form, Apollo had long white hair that reached down to his waist, and steel grey eyes.

"Hi," I said nervously, twisting my fingers around each other. Even though Tsukune and the others had met him and mentioned him to me before, I still wasn't completely comfortable around him. Apollo was just so intimidating… he had that hostile aura around him that made others want to back off. I didn't run away with my tail between my legs yet, though. It was probably because I was used to personas similar to his. Kiseki, for example. Although his daunting presence was toned down and much less hostile, he was still intimidating (Kiseki was definitely not a cruel person, though. Cold sometimes, maybe, but he was not cruel).

My eyes wandered around Apollo as I tried to look at anything but his cold grey eyes. "So… have you seen anything interesting up there on the roofs yet?"

"I came here to talk to you about a very important matter," he said, ignoring my awkward attempt to start a conversation. "You must have heard from Moka and the others about my past… my story. Correct?"

I was mildly scared. Was I not supposed to know? Was he mad that I found out about his devastating history? Whatever the case may be, I decided to answer truthfully. "Ah, yes, they told me…"

"So you know very well how much I despise angels and demons – the two conflicting parties."

"What about vampires?" I blurted out. Immediately, I slapped a hand over my mouth. Ah, I was so stupid! How could I just impulsively ask about that? But, truthfully, I didn't think it was my fault. It was all because of Moka and Kiseki's tone of voice when they told me about the harbinger… they didn't make it sound like he liked them very much. I wanted to know just why this harbinger disliked vampires, monsters, and angels and demons so much.

Apollo smiled wryly, twisting his lips together.

"Ah, vampires… powerful, arrogant, prideful monsters. They think they deserve to be in control just because they are slightly more powerful than others. Being completely honest, I see no difference between them and the other minor monsters. Why is this? It is because all of them – it doesn't matter what species of monster – are being used and controlled. We are all just pawns for the angels and demons, if you think about it. It's just that vampires are in a higher rank than the rest of the pawns. Say, not a pawn, but a knight? Or a bishop. I'm talking chess here."

I frowned. Although I respected him immensely, I did not like the way he was talking about my fellow monsters. "I can understand why you dislike demons; that reason is quite obvious. But why angels? They haven't done anything wrong. And the monsters here on earth are just trying to survive, like the rest of us. They don't deserve to be hated; they are simply trying to sustain themselves."

"You ask why I despise angels?" Apollo echoed, raising a dark, heavy brow. "I've already explained this to your friends, but I will reiterate if I have to. You said they haven't done anything wrong. And you're right; they haven't done anything wrong. They haven't done _anything_, period. Where were they when the monsters and the spirits they created were suffering? They just do what they wish, and ignore us when they please."

"Maria wasn't like that. You might not know who I'm talking about, but Maria was the angel that gave me these charms to protect me from evil here at Yokai. If she really didn't care, why would she have done that? Why would she even bother?"

"Ah, the charms. And your angel. I was going to speak to you about that. Do you know why she gave you the accessories you have on now?"

"Of course. She didn't want me to be in danger. There are plenty of-"

"Wrong. Had she given a 'lucky charm' to any of the other humans here that came to Yokai? Did your friend Tsukune get one?"

"T-That… um…" I was speechless for once. Of course I had known this before, and I had thought it was unfair to Tsukune, but I just brushed it off as a coincidence or something. I had thought before, _Maybe Tsukune wasn't meant to get those charms. He has his holy lock right now, so he probably didn't need one…_

"You were just lucky." Apollo continued. "Or, I should say, _un_lucky. You seemed to be the perfect vessel for the angels to use. They chose you because they wanted to use you against the dark forces threatening to take over. Remember Lucy? She wants to use you as well. They don't want you, yourself, exactly… they just need a convenient carrying vessel to plant their powers in. You're nothing but a tool to them, Ame."

Although what he said may be true, it still hurt to hear it. My eyes pricked painfully as I realized – much to my embarrassment – that tears started to gather there. I breathed in deeply and tried to calm myself.

Undeterred by my depressed expression and my hurt feelings, Apollo continued.

"You'd be able to come to Yokai whether you had those charms or not, Ame. If you didn't have them, it would just be a matter of survival. To be honest, you probably would have died quite early in the year… but, perhaps death would be the better outcome for you than being enslaved and used."

"They aren't using me," I objected quietly. "They haven't told me to do anything yet. At least, Maria hasn't. Lucy's a different story."

"That's exactly what I've been telling you. Had Maria done anything to save you from Lucy's wrath? She saw that you had half your angel side taken away from you – that you had been tainted by evil – so she just threw you away. So, my advice is, why not just rid yourself of their burdens and expectations? I suggest you get rid of your accessories as fast as possible. I've seen these charms before, and they are incredibly dangerous. They don't shield or protect you from danger, necessarily. They embed their powers into you and change who you are from the inside. Even if you take them off now, I can't be sure that you'll return back to normal. Sooner or later they will take over your mind – your soul – and destroy you."

"You think I don't know?" I asked him, looking down. "I've noticed the strange changes even before anyone else. But I can't get rid of them now. I need them to protect my friends and family… and everyone else here. Without them, I'm just useless."

"Ah, that's a problem." Apollo clicked his tongue disapprovingly. "You've become too dependent on them. They've already taken over some of your mind – your very essence. Nonetheless, child, I still urge you to destroy them. I've seen too many humans being used like this in the past, and none of the outcomes have been good."

"What if I say no?" I whispered quietly, not raising my head up to look at him.

"What did you say?"

I lifted my face up to look straight into his cold grey eyes. "What if I refuse? What if I can't afford to take them off right now?"

Apollo's eyes narrowed dangerously, and he pursed his lips until it almost disappeared into a thin straight line. "Well, then I shall be the one to deal with you – not Maria nor Lucy, or anyone else. Trust me, child, you will thank me for it in the future. Humans are not meant to harbor such powers, much less become a vessel ready to be used."

I swallowed the uncomfortable feeling that had build up in my throat, and I looked away from Apollo.

"Thank you for your suggestions," I whispered, my voice choking. "What you said… I will keep it in mind. Just… leave me alone for now, please. I need some time to think."

Apollo nodded grimly. "But, Ame-"

All of a sudden, the ground started shaking, cutting Apollo off mid-word. It was like an earthquake had hit Yokai Academy. Trees started quaking, birds and animals from the nearby forests and woods went rampage, and the other monsters from the different stations began shouting.

_Oh no,_ I whispered to myself, horrified. I knew what this signified; I had seen this happen enough times to know. I also knew that, soon, the ground would split open. And it did.

"They're here!" Apollo shouted, transforming as he spoke. A few heartbeats later, he was in his gargoyle form, flying up into the air. He hovered in midair, surveying the landscape. "There are cracks in various areas outside of campus… close to the lake. And – huh, now they're-"

I didn't listen to what Apollo said after that. I knew what he would say; I knew how this was going to happen. I had to take a look and assess the situation myself, though. Transforming as well (into my angel-demon split form), I flew up in the air and hovered next to Apollo.

Indeed, Apollo was right. It was slightly different from how I envisioned it, though. The cracks I had seen before this were not as severe… well, then again, the cracks I saw were only meant for one person to enter and exit: Lucy. These cracks, they were full-out chasms in the ground. And countless demons poured out of it – hundreds and thousands.

"Oh no," I whispered, breathing heavily again in worry. "I hope the border patrol have this under control… they need to hold their ground!"

"They're obviously going to be attacked," Apollo replied, untactfully. "It just a matter of surviving the attacks or not."

I still couldn't leave them all there fighting by themselves, though. They probably didn't know what the earthquakes and cracks meant… and even if they saw the millions of demons rising out of the ground, they probably wouldn't know what to do. I had to go help them. Besides, Moka and the others were near the barrier's border, as well, so maybe I could meet them there.

I invited Apollo to come with me, but he declined.

"I'll be here, close to campus," he replied. "I'll only act when there is a dire need of my help, when the situation is severe. There is no reason to get worked up about this right now."

I shook my head; Apollo was hopeless. I wished him good luck and flew as fast as I could towards the barrier's edge, to where the demons were.

And boy, were there a lot of demons. I could hardly keep track of them all! There were fox demons, cat demons, boar demons, and countless other animal demons. There were also giant bat monsters, flying insect-monsters, and plant monsters. It was unsettling to see all the nasty green vines and branches creeping out around the edge of my barrier. Many of the monsters carried clubs, spears, and other weapons. It was terrifying to witness.

I even caught sight of a couple of dog demons! Kenta would definitely not like this. For a moment, I was even worried. What would we do if they asked Kenta to join them? Not that Kenta would agree, obviously, but there were still plenty of doubt and uncertainty in my heart. This was the perfect time for anyone to turn on each other.

Shaking my head, I tried to rid myself of these negative thoughts. I soon reached the area where Moka and the others said they'd be, and they welcomed me with open arms.

"Ame, did you see all that!" Kurumu cried, eyes wide. "I flew up to check out the situation, and all I saw was a sea of demons!"

"I know," I replied, sighing heavily. "I'm not sure we'll be able to hold them off…"

"Of course we will," Kiseki answered, flicking me on the forehead. "What happened to trust and teamwork? We promised everyone else we'd protect the school!"

I smiled. "I know… I have no doubt about that."

Moka then turned to me for a report. "Ame, I've already informed the other students about as much as I could. You know, of Garron's plans and attacks, and about the diversity of the army, and everything else. We've already worked out a strategic profile with them. If Garron's army attacks directly, right here, then we'll know what to do."

I gave Moka a hug. "Thanks, Moka, you're amazing! But the problem is, we don't know what Garron plans to do. He already knows that the barrier is up and will stop him from entering the campus, but I'm positive that won't deter him at all. He'll just think of another plan to attack differently."

"I know that," Moka replied, sighing. "But we did the best we could. Worst case scenario: they give up on attacking the school and leave to conquer the rest of the monster world – or even the human world. If that's the case, then we'll have no choice but to leave the barrier ourselves and prevent as much damage as possible. It'll be too much to ask the others to join, but at least we'll be able to do something."

I nodded. "You're right… that's about all we can do for now."

"Hey, don't forget that you've got me!"

Spinning around, I saw Gin behind me, much to my surprise. He was leaning against the trunk of a tree, tie loose, blazer undone, with his usual blinding smile.

"Is it me, Ame, or did you become even hotter? The last time I saw you…"

Kiseki did not let Gin finish his sentence. He smiled dangerously and took a step closer to me to rest his hand on my elbow. Gin immediately behaved himself. Flipping his hair back, he continued to speak.

"I knew you guys would need help, so I brought along some of my buddies from the other clubs and stuff. They're all informed and ready to attack. Not only that, many of the other staff and teachers has decided to leave the safety of campus and fight here as well." Gin grinned. "Looks like you guys got an army to match Garron's, eh?"

I smiled. No matter how perverted Gin was, he was still the awesome, older-brother type of guy who took good care of his friends. Count on him to have a backup plan! Although, now that I thought about it, most of his backup plans were to run away as fast as possible… hmm.

"Alright, enough talking," Tsukune said, all-business. "We have to be prepared; they're on the offensive, and we don't know what trick they're going to throw at us."

I sucked in a deep breath, steadying myself. I was ready for this.

What I wasn't ready for, though, was Garron's next move. Instead of attacking us directly like we expected, we heard the trample of feet stop a few meters away from the barrier. His army had stopped outside the dome… to surround it, no doubt, but it was eerily quiet for a couple of minutes.

Finally, someone spoke. It wasn't Garron's voice, to my surprise. This speaker from Garron's army was someone new, a male voice I'd never heard before.

"Students and teachers of Yokai Academy!" he shouted out loudly. His voice rang and echoed through the woods and the school campus. He paused for dramatic effect before continuing. "Lord Garron and I – General Masaki – are sure that you have all been informed of the invasion already. Thus, it is probably not a surprise to see us outside of your… 'barrier'. You may know about our plans to attack. But that doesn't matter – we are not going to change tactics either way. Nothing will stop us from attacking. However, Lord Garron wanted to make a proposal with all of you…"

There was a long silence as everyone held their breaths, anticipating what the man was going to say.

"Lord Garron does not wish to attack any of you. Please know that. If there is anyone that wishes to join our side right now, it is still not too late. We welcome any new arrivals. However!" he bellowed, scaring half of the woodland animals to death, "If any of you opposes, then you shall all be killed. Let me repeat this again: we do not wish to destroy your school or cause commotion. We only wish to occupy Yokai Academy, and strengthen our army as much as possible. Our goal is not as limited as this, to only conquer your school. If you wish for a new world – a world of freedom where you don't have to hide anymore, and get the respect and power you deserve – then come join us. It is not too late to change your mind."

"SCREW YOU!" a guy shouted from somewhere on campus. He was followed by a chorus of defiant rebuts. I heard Kiseki snicker briefly at this.

"Well, I'll take that as a no. Then you leave us no choice but to attack."

Curious as to who was speaking, I flew up over the treetops and peered down at Garron's army, all lined up around our barrier. They made a semi-circle half-surrounding the edge of the dome. They were a good hundred meters back, but in front stood a single man. He was not Garron; Garron didn't seem to be anywhere close to his army.

_Huh, _I thought to myself, _typical of Garron to force others to do his bidding and then ditch._

He was in uniform, with badges and a cap. The cap covered the top of his head so I couldn't get a good look at him. So this was General Masaki! But…

"Masaki…" I said to myself, frowning. I'd heard that name before. "Hold on a second…"

My eyes widened. Kenta had that same surname! I laughed at that uncanny coincidence. Was this an omen that Kenta would switch sides and turn evil? I doubted that. But really, I couldn't be sure. Everything was so twisted in this world… especially right now.

"Attack!" General Masaki bellowed, pumping his fist into the air. The army of demons and monsters behind him roared in response, and charged towards the barrier. The sight was incredible.

I closed my eyes for a brief second to prepare myself... for the final battle.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong>

Thanks for reading, and I hope you liked this chapter!

Eeek! I can't wait till the next chapter! It's gonna be so exciting xD

Apollo was really insistent on Ame getting rid of the accessories, though, wasn't he? Yeah, he had a good reason to be. Sooner or later those charms are going to destroy her, it's quite obvious. You'll just have to find out about that later though ;)

Ok! Be prepared for the epic final battle! I hope it's going to be satisfying for you guys... Comment and let me know how you guys are feeling about it! Then I might know if you're enjoying it or not, haha.

Alright, see you in the next chapter!

- ACookieZ


	47. Chapter 47: Battle!

**Angel vs. Demon**

Chapter 47 – Battle!

"They're attacking!" Kenta cried. I watched Kenta as he watched the demon army charge towards the shield. Both of us had worried, slightly panicked looks on our faces.

"But they won't be able to get past the barrier," Tsukune said confidently. "I'm glad that we were able to complete that time…"

"It doesn't matter," Moka said, worried. "What if they somehow manage to break it? We have to be prepared. Right now."

"I know, you're right," Kurumu said in reply, already fully transformed into her succubus form. "Let's get ready to kick some butt!"

The rest of us followed her example. Moka's rosario was pulled off, Tsukune released some of his inner ghoul self, Kenta ripped his dog tag off, Kiseki transformed into his true vampire form, Yukari whipped out her magic wand, Mizore made her hands turn into giant icicles, and I myself tapped into my magical accessories and turned into an angel/demon split.

Off in the distance (both on the school grounds and in the woods and forests), I also heard and saw many of my other classmates and teachers transform. I caught sight of Ruby, Gin, Ms. Ririko, the P.E. teacher, and lots of other familiar faces. It warmed my heart and gave me confidence to know that they were lending their strength and powers for this one cause. It gave me hope that maybe we could succeed without severe damage after all.

I tore my eyes away from everyone else behind me and forced myself to look at the army of demons charging head-first towards my barrier. They looked like they were going to smack right into it… except, at the very last second –

"RRRAAAAAAHHH!"

A powerful, eardrum-shattering, piercing scream blared throughout the school grounds. Imagine the worst noise you've ever heard (nails on a chalkboard? The screams of a pig being slaughtered? A loud jet flying overhead?)… this noise beat it by a million. It was like someone unleashed an invisible burst of power out into the open.

Right into our shield.

"What the – sh*t, Ame, look up!" Kiseki cried in alarm.

Listening to him, I tilted my head upwards. Much to my dismay and horror, I saw a crack in the shield. There was a frickin' crack in my barrier!

"How could this happen?" I demanded, eyes wide and heart pounding in shock. "How could a mere scream do this to-!"

"No, it wasn't just a mere scream," Inner Moka said from beside me. "Didn't you feel that? It was like a sonic boom… someone did this on purpose, as if they'd planned this whole thing out. Ame, you might not understand what I'm talking about, but remember the banshee? She unleashed some sort of power behind that voice of hers. It seemed like someone else did the same."

"Who could it be?" Yukari asked, palms sweaty. "Another banshee, maybe?"

"No," Moka decided, "No banshee could be that powerful. Banshees create their own screams from within their bodies, but that scream just then… It was like someone sucked up a load of energy, temporarily stored it in their body, and then let it all loose in that one piercing shriek."

"Whoever did that was smart, too," Yukari added grudgingly, a grim expression on her face. "Had they attacked the barrier physically with their bodies, they would have been burned by the holiness. Using sound, they could break it without getting hurt."

Tsukune gulped. "The only person who'd come up with this – no, the only person who'd be able to _do_ this is…"

"Garron," I whispered, horrified. My face went pale, and my breathing became shallow. "I knew it, he hadn't given up. I checked out the army before, and he wasn't there. He's probably hiding somewhere where we can't find him…"

"Ugh, but we _have_ to find him!" Kurumu cried, agitated. "That was our plan! We said to get to the root of the problem, remember? We're supposed to be where that evil jerk is."

"I know, I know," Tsukune groaned, rubbing his face with his palms. "But in the current situation-"

"HEADS UP!" Kenta shouted, pushing us all down. A split second after he did, a winged bat demon dipped and flew over, missing our heads by inches.

"Holy crap! That was dangerous!" Yukari yelled, pulling her hat down over her head. I looked up to that crack in the barrier and saw that it had gotten bigger. That was how the bat demon was able to fly in!

Luckily, the bat demon made its way to central campus… where some other winged monster (on our side) swiftly took care of it. But still, despite that, the crack kept getting bigger. Chunks of holy shield material fell down from that crack and exploded into glittery smithereens as it hit the ground.

"At this rate, the barrier could collapse and we'd all be finished," I said, hardly able to breathe. I felt so scared… so terribly scared for the fates of everyone.

"Not if I can help it," Kurumu said in determination. She flew up to the crack in the barrier and – without physically being outside of it – started battling any of the winged demons that dared to fly in. A few of the other winged monsters of Yokai Academy saw, and began to follow Kurumu's example. Pretty soon, without having to exit the barrier, they had pushed the enemy out.

"This might just work," Tsukune said, "as long as the barrier doesn't get any worse!"

He spoke too soon. The barrier did get worse – not of its own accord, however. The crack on the top of the shield did not worsen, which was a good thing, but new cracks appeared on the sides of the barrier… perfect for enemies on foot to infiltrate.

And how did this happen? Obviously Garron's doing. There was simply no other explanation. Tons of earth-metal demons charged themselves at the dome and met it heads-on. Monsters made out of huge chunks of rock, metal, and junk went at the shield again and again. They had glassy, empty look in their eyes, and their faces were devoid of expression. Every time they came into contact with the surface of the barrier, they shrieked in agony and crumpled to the ground into dust, dirt, and junk. Others had clearly seen the outcome of those poor monsters, yet they did the exact same things they did. Wave after wave, they kept on body-slamming the barrier.

I knew what was happening to them; I had gone through that very same thing. Garron had controlled their minds, and were forcing them into doing these kamikaze-like acts. He clearly thought he had enough soldiers to spare. I must admit, however, that his plan was working; the barrier was weakening. Every time a demon smashed against the shield, it dented the surface – cracks appeared and worsened after each monster hit.

Suddenly, without warning – BOOM – the barrier broke. The cracks finally deepened until it broke down onto the ground in shards. Hundreds of demons were dead from the cause, yet there seemed to be hundreds more just waiting to barge in.

And barge in they did. With a ferocious battle cry, thousands of demons infiltrated the grounds of Yokai Academy. Both on air, on ground, and even underground. To my heart-wrenching horror, I saw a few of my peers being pulled down into the earth by some unknown tentacle or limb. Unfortunately, I didn't have the time to help them – or even see if they made it out. I was up to my neck with problems of my own: trying to stay alive, battle monsters, and protect my friends and colleagues.

These demons attacked blindly, savagely, ferociously… with only one goal in mind: to destroy us. This was clear from their expressions of hatred, fury, and hunger. They were hungry for power and for blood; their eyes were red with desire and fury. It was terrifying to watch.

I summoned up countless flaming arrows and holy droplets, trying to hinder the enemy on their way to central campus. My flaming arrows pierced through the chests of many demons, and wherever my droplets of holy water sprayed, demons were shrieking from the pain and smoking from their wounds as they melted into the ground. I couldn't bear to do anything more, though… watching so many monsters die was making me sick. Literally. I felt like I was going to puke – from the smell, the sounds, and the sight.

The others didn't seem to be in such bad shape, though. Kiseki was all but invisible with his speed; all I saw were dead bodies of demons falling down onto the ground with no sign of being attacked. Yukari was doing something similar to what I did; she was slicing the heads off many monsters and demons with her flying tarot cards. Kenta was biting and kicking all of his attackers, and even shy Mizore was super-fierce in battle. She had countless enemies frozen solid at her feet. Kurumu was amazing, as well. She cut through demon bodies with her nails like she was slicing butter to spread on her toast. And do I even have to mention Moka and Tsukune? They were like a warrior couple, destroying their enemies back-to-back.

Although I admired them and was extremely impressed with everyone (I was sure Gin and his friends and Ruby and the teachers were doing just as good protecting our territory), I still felt sick. This whole thing was like a terrifying bloodbath. Corpses fell to the ground one after another, bloody limbs flew at my face, and all the screaming and shouting gave me a pounding headache. I didn't want to seem like a whiny little girl who couldn't handle big-people business, but all this was seriously making me sick. We just couldn't keep fighting like this.

"We can't keep fighting!" Kiseki shouted above all the screams and the yells. It was like he had read my mind. "They're endless! We have to find Garron first…!"

Inner Moka grunted as she did a double spin-kick in midair and knocked out two monsters. Landing right beside Tsukune again, she agreed. "He's right. We need to find him _right now_. He's mind-controlling more than half the army, isn't he? If we get to him first, then we're basically shutting down half of the enemy."

"Where would we find him, though?" Yukari asked as she dropped golden brass bins on the heads of a few zombies. "He could be anywhere!"

_Think, Ame,_ I urged myself, squeezing my eyes shut for a few seconds. _Where would he be…? Probably the last place we'd expect him to be…_

"The Fountain of Holy Water!" I shouted, my eyes flying open. Everyone looked at me in surprise and doubt. Well, I kind of expected them to… I mean, why would Garron be near the Fountain of Holy Water? It was a long and uncreative name for a fountain, I know, but that was exactly what it was. And it was exactly where I think Garron would be.

The Fountain (for short) was behind the Headmaster's building, in the center of a charming little garden full of beautiful monster plants, sweet-smelling flowers, and friendly elves, gnomes, and pixies. It was such a peaceful and holy place that no demon or monster would ever think of entering it, expect for the Headmaster himself. It was his garden and his fountain, after all. The Fountain itself was enormous, carved from marble, and had a never-ending flow of holy water. It was where the Headmaster went to fill up his "holy-water bottle" for exorcizing, or something like that. At least, that was what I heard from all the rumors. Regardless, that fountain was extremely important to the school; it was almost sacred. No student or teacher dared to touch it, even if the water didn't instantly hurt them.

"Garron wouldn't be stupid enough to go there, where he would clearly be at a disadvantage," Yukari stated, looking skeptical.

"Plus I'm sure it's all locked up and secure," Mizore added. "Nobody could go in even if they wanted to."

"But guys, that fountain and that garden is like the most precious thing to the Headmaster, other than the school itself and the students in it," I said. "Garron wanted revenge, right? He wanted to destroy the school that the Headmaster loved so much. And where else would be a better place to start than at the Headmaster's special garden? If he took over the holy fountain, then the Headmaster wouldn't be able to get his water from there anymore."

Moka punched a demon in the face, and then spun around and tapped a finger to her chin like nothing had happened. "Hmm, this shocks and surprises me, but I think Ame might be right for once."

I chose to ignore this comment of Inner Moka's, and she continued without waiting for me to acknowledge it. "Garron would head there first, thinking nobody would be there. And he'd be right; all of the monsters are fighting here, far away from the garden. And even if the monsters weren't busy fighting, they'd never think of going to the Fountain. It would be the perfect place for Garron to relax and let his guard down. Plus, being close to the Holy Fountain might be at his advantage, after all. If he somehow became immune to that water, then he could use it against any monster that seemed a threat to him. If Ame's right, then damn, Garron sure is smart."

"It does take a genius to be evil," Kiseki said. I bet this was another one of his many quotes and mottos.

"Well, what are we waiting for?" Kurumu demanded, struggling to speak clearly as she was fending off dozens of demon monsters. "Let's hurry up and get out of here!"

"You're not going anywhere."

My friends and I spun around in alarm at the new arrival. That deep, rich tenor voice… it sounded like General Masaki, the one who led the army. Taking in the man's uniform and army cap, I gulped nervously. It sure was him, all right.

"It looks like you've figured out where my Master is," General Masaki said grimly, not looking fazed by it. He did scrunch up his face in disgust at the word "Master", though. Other than that he kept his face carefully blank.

"Yeah, what are you gonna do about it?" Yukari demanded, gripping her wand tightly. She positioned her feet in a defensive stance.

The General snickered. "Oh, I don't want to do anything about it, trust me. That bastard – who calls himself the 'Demon Lord' deserves to be killed. No… actually, he deserves much, much worse than that. He needs to suffer slowly for all eternity."

"What…?" Tsukune said, confusion crossing his face. I was sure I had on the exact same expression. So this General, who had led the army onto our campus, actually didn't want Garron to rule? What did this mean? Does he want to overthrow Garron and become the next Ruler of the Underworld, or does he just hate Garron's guts? I didn't know if that made General Masaki our enemy or not. I was just too confused to think anymore.

"You think I _want_ to fight for him?" General Masaki inquired, taking his cap off. He shook his hair loose, and to my surprise, he had silver, shoulder-length hair… the exact same shade as Kenta's. I noted this with interest.

"Hey, back off, buddy," Moka said venomously, taking one step towards General Masaki. "I don't care if you want to fight for Garron or not; that's got nothing to do with us. We just want to destroy Garron and end this fight right now. And you're in our way. Mind moving?"

General Masaki smiled slowly. "I like you… you're feisty. But, in all honesty, I'm not here to cause trouble for you." He raised his head up slowly over his head in a gesture of surrender. Truthfully, I couldn't see this man hurting anyone either… he was about the same age as my dad, maybe a little younger, and seemed to be in his mid-to-late-thirties. He had nice laugh lines around his eyes, and although he had an ominous, powerful aura around him, he didn't kill us so far, which was a good thing.

"This might be a good thing," Mizore whispered to me. She seemed to like talking to me (even at odd moments)… maybe because I was a good listener. She continued: "Maybe we could use this man as a hostage or something. Maybe Garron would be up for negotiation…?"

I doubted that. Garron wouldn't care who died, as long as he got what he wanted in the end.

Suddenly, Kenta sprang out from nowhere. "If you don't want to cause us trouble, then hurry up and leave! We need to go find the bad guy!" he cried. His little doggy tail was puffed out behind him, and his ears flared out dangerously. He still gripped his dog tag tightly in his hand, but he was waving it in the air in a threatening manner towards the general, trying to scare him off. Kenta was trying to protect us, how sweet of him.

General Masaki almost rolled his eyes at his words, but when his eyes came upon Kenta, he went completely still. His eyes got unbelievably wide, and his mouth dropped open in shock. It could have been my imagination, but I thought I even saw him trembling.

Kenta cocked his head to the side, a befuddled look on his face. "What?"

General Masaki slowly pulled down his raised hands and reached into his uniformed shirt. Moka saw this as a sign of threat and was ready to kick his head off, but Tsukune held her back. Like me, he probably realized that this general wasn't going to suddenly take out a gun and shoot us or anything… there was something else going on. Something much more serious.

Slowly, the General pulled out a locket from around his neck. That was what had been inside his shirt the whole time; the locket had been tucked deep inside. Without taking his eyes off Kenta, he flipped open the locket and tossed it onto the ground in front of him, on the space in between him and Kenta. No one spoke for a few heartbeats… everyone waited for Kenta to make the first move. It was obvious that the General had meant for Kenta to take the locket.

Curiosity won over Kenta; he bent forwards and picked up the locket. I could see Kurumu holding in her breath in nervousness. She clearly wondered if this was a trap. I had a feeling it wasn't, though. And I was right.

Most lockets contained a personal picture inside, and this one was no different. I could see a tiny photo of a woman and an infant inside the locket. The woman had long, wavy chestnut-brown hair, and the baby had a head full of silver hair. His eyes were closed contentedly, and his mouth was smiling. The mother looked equally as happy.

Finally, after what seemed like forever, the General spoke.

"That's a picture of my wife," General Masaki whispered, clutching onto his cap. "And that baby she's holding… that's my son." He looked at Kenta meaningfully as he said this.

Kenta clutched onto the locket with his paws like he was clinging on to dear life. "That baby…" Kenta began, his voice hoarse. He cleared it quietly and continued on in a small but firmer voice. "That baby is me!"

My jaw fell open and my eyes went wide. I thought that brown-haired woman looked familiar! She was Kenta's mother… I had seen her with my very own eyes, on the day that Kenta ran away on his own. Gosh, it seemed like ages ago, and she looked so young in the picture. I just couldn't believe it.

"Son…!" General Masaki exclaimed, throwing his arms out towards Kenta for an embrace. I expected Kenta to tackle him into a hug like he would do to us, but instead (much to my shock), I saw the opposite reaction.

Although he still held on to the personal item of the General, Kenta growled viciously at General Masaki. He bared his teeth and backed away from him, ears flattened down in fury. General Masaki looked shock and hurt by this action, and let his arms fall limply to his sides.

Kenta continued to growl at him, but his watery eyes and quivering lips betrayed his true emotions.

"Why?" Kenta demanded, breathing heavily. "Why now? Why appear in front of me NOW of all times? Where were you when Mama was crying, all alone? Where were you when she threw me out and screamed that she never wanted to see me again, just because I reminded her too much of _you_?"

"Oh, Kenta…" General Masaki murmured, his eyes going soft and his face looking pained.

"Don't call me that!" Kenta almost screamed. "You don't deserve to call me anything. You should have been there all those years ago… Instead, you abandoned Mama! You abandoned _me_! Mama yelled at me about you for all those years… about how you ditched us, how you ran away, and how you never appeared in front of her again. And now she's with some other guy, with a baby of their own!" Kenta huffed, wiping a sleeve across his drippy nose. "I hope you're happy… I hope you're finally satisfied."

If it was possible, General Masaki's face fell even more. It physically hurt me to look at his face, to see and almost feel the pain he was going through. Yet I could bet that Kenta was feeling ten thousand times worse.

"No, no, son, that's not how it was," he said, shaking his head fiercely. "Believe me, I can explain! You've only ever heard your mother's side of the story!"

Kenta shook his head fiercely, not making an effort to speak. General Masaki took this as a sign to continue and tell us his side of the story.

"It was true that I left your mother, but of course not by my own will. I'm a demon, child… I was created and born in the underworld. No matter how much I despise that fact, I can't change or deny it."

General Masaki squeezed his eyes shut and hung his head, as if reliving those horrible periods of his life. "Ever since I was a kid, I wanted to escape from the demon realm and into the outside world. And the only way to do that was to become powerful enough to support myself… so I worked hard with everything I had. I strived to be the best, hoping that one day I could escape my hell hole. And I did; I prospered. That's how I was able to sneak into the human world and meet your mother. I loved her, Kenta, believe me… I truly did. And I'd like to believe that your mother felt the same way about me, as well. Despite the fact that we eloped – monsters and humans couldn't live together peacefully either in my world or hers – I thought she was happy with me."

Kenta gritted his teeth and struggled to keep his tears under control, but made no comment. I didn't know if he believed everything that the General was saying, but I could tell that he was listening attentively.

General Masaki continued on with a sad smile. "Just when I thought everything was going to be okay… you know, we had bought a house together somewhere far away, she was pregnant with my child, I was going to be a proud happy father… everything was going to be great. Then, I was whisked away back to the demon world again."

"Liar!" Kenta cried, closing his eyes and squeezing his fists tightly together. "You left us on purpose, all by yourself."

"Is that what your mother told you?" General Masaki asked, his face miserable. "Is that what you believed all these years…? The truth is, I was scouted out by the devil himself to be in his army. It had nothing to do with you personally at all… he just wanted me for my abilities. I had trained so hard to become powerful, and it had backfired on me! Remember how I told you that monsters and humans couldn't have a proper relationship? Garron Lived used this against me. When I tried to escape his control and head back to the human world, he threatened to harm both you and your mother. I was stuck; I had no choice. I couldn't see the both of you, or else I'd be executed and you two would be assassinated. He kept me down there with him for all these years, forcing me to serve him and his army."

I couldn't help it; I was starting to believe him. "How horrible…" I said, my eyebrows scrunching together in sympathy.

General Masaki's head snapped up, and he looked at me. Then, he began to study every one of us.

"It's still not too late," he said, taking in a big breath. "I can see that you guys are the family that my son has chosen for himself… and I respect that. I want to thank you all for taking care of Kenta when I couldn't. What do you say we stop Garron Lived?"

"Isn't it a bit late for that?" Kurumu asked. One of her eyebrows rose skeptically. "Especially when _you're_ the one who brought his army in? Now you're switching sides, huh? You're jumping ship?"

General Masaki pursed his lips. "I didn't know that my son and his friends would be at this school. I didn't know half of the stuff that Garron was planning, either… All I was told was to lead the army into this school."

Moka nodded. "I see. Although the situation seems beyond suspicious, I do trust you. You will aid us in the defeat of Garron Lived, correct?"

"Of course," he nodded. "I wouldn't be able to take him on all by myself. But now that I have the help of you guys, we might be able to defeat him once and for all… and liberate the hundreds of lesser demons he has controlled. And perhaps get revenge for the hundreds of other he's killed."

Tsukune smiled, then – behaving like the representative that he was – stepped forward and stuck out his hand. "We welcome you, Mr. Masaki. I thank you in advance for helping us."

General Masaki closed the gap and shook Tsukune's hand. "And I thank you for looking out for my son and having trust in me. As for fighting against Garron, well… believe me, the pleasure is all mine."

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong>

Sorry this chapter is so long! I had expected this to be shorter, but y'know, I get carried away sometimes :P

Well, off they go to find Garron in the next chapter! Review, Fav, and stay tuned for more! :)

- ACookieZ


	48. Chapter 48: A Test

**Angel vs. Demon**

Chapter 48 – A Test

Our group hiked across the campus and grassy fields and courts towards the Headmaster's building. It wasn't as easy as it sounded, believe me. The school campus was huge; I'd been here for almost a year, and I still could get lost in it. With a venue this big, Garron could very well be anywhere.

"Duck!" Tsukune suddenly shouted, obeying his own command. A furry, dusty-yellow moth demon flew over our heads. It was huge! The mere body of it – excluding the wings – was the size of a small canoe. As it flapped its wings, glittery dust rained down on us… And it most definitely was not pixie or fairy dust. This sparkly substance felt like pinpricks of needles as it showered our bodies and dug into our exposed skin. Wherever the shining dust particles touched, our skin burned.

And the moth demon didn't stop; it hovered over our heads and beat its wings some more, buzzing with laughter. How horrible… it was amused at our pain!

"Dammit!" Kurumu swore, shaking the moth dust out of her hair. "These things hurt like a motherf*cker!"

Even Moka gritted her teeth in annoyance as she brushed the deadly moth dust off from her sleeves. Having the annoyingly delicate human skin that I had, I bit my lip to not cry out from the pain; I dug my teeth hard enough into my flesh to draw blood. But even then, that pain was nothing compared to the smoldering pain from the moth dust.

Kiseki must have noticed how I was suffering; he threw his blazer over my shoulders to protect me from the moth dust that continued to rain down on us. My eyes widened in surprise, and despite the current situation, I blushed. Then I mentally slapped myself and focused on the crisis at hand.

"That's it, I'm going up!" Kurumu declared. She flew up towards the moth demon and attempted to slice it in half with her nails. It turns out that the moth demon had another special attack, though. As Kurumu neared it, it beat its wings hard in her direction, whipping up a hurricane of deadly moth dust. The small tornado flew at Kurumu and momentarily blinded her.

"Aaah!" she screamed as she plumetted down towards the ground.

I gritted my teeth in anger at the thought of Kurumu being in such pain. Instead, I focused my rage on conjuring up a large flaming ball of fire. Moths were attracted to light and flames, weren't they? Well… I had to use that knowledge to my advantage.

"Eat this!" I yelled, sending it in the moth demon's direction. The moth seemed momentarily entranced by my bright ball of flame, and did not try to duck out of the way or anything. It got hit in its stomach full-force, and blasted into a billion pieces.

"Nice one, Ame," Kurumu complimented. She had regained her sight and managed to stand up, although her eyes were watery and red and she looked like she had been crying for hours.

I took in a deep breath. "All right, let's go, guys."

Listening to me only too well, Kenta stomped on ahead before any of us. General Masaki was only a few steps before Moka and Tsukune (who were at the very end), and Kenta made sure to keep his distance. He tried to get as far from his father as possible. Throughout the entire trek, he didn't say a single word to General Masaki; he was clearly giving him the silent treatment. And maybe a little bit of the cold shoulder.

I sighed warily, but I couldn't interfere. This was strictly father-and-son business, and they had to work it out themselves. I'd already meddled too much with Kenta's personal life when I accompanied him to meet his mother way back in the human world.

"Oh man, look out!" Mizore said out loud. "Another one's coming…!"

She was right – I saw the figure of another monster sashay out of the bushes. This demon painfully reminded me of Lucy… not only because she was female, but because of the way she dressed and acted. Aside from the times where she had to act (and dress) like our homeroom teacher, Lucy normally wore a tight leather mini-skirt and a painful-looking corset top. Paired with hot red stiletto heels, of course. Now, I'm not being judgmental of her fashion taste or anything, but those clothes hardly looked decent. And this demon looked no different. It was obvious she worked for Garron; all of his female minions seemed to dress the same way. It disgusted me, really.

"Why, hello there, young travelers," she said, smirking at us – well, mostly at the males in our group. "How brave of you to make it this far! I just love courageous, fleshy, warm-blooded men~" She winked at Tsukune and Kiseki.

Ugh, one of _those_ women. I felt like I was going to puke again, and not from all the fighting and carnage, either. She probably had orders from Garron to kill us… the only reason why she hasn't was for her own selfish reasons, obviously. She probably wanted to satisfy some of her "needs" and "desires" before she got rid of us. She must have thought that she had all the time in the world, after all.

I felt Moka stiffen next to me. If Outer Moka was here, she might have felt flustered and jealous about how the demon was hitting on the guys… but Inner Moka took none of that crap.

"Shut your pretty little mouth, honey, or else you might get hurt," she said sweetly, taking a threatening step towards the demon.

Rolling her eyes, the female demon began to study her long, black, polished nails. "Huh, looks like these sexy, delicious gentlemen already have some female companions, eh? Well, I wasn't all that interested in you guys anyway. You'll all only have to do as substitutes – and maybe light snacks – until Lord Garron realizes how much he's in love with me. Then, I'll be a married woman!"

"Keep on dreaming," Moka snorted, looking disgusted. Then she turned to me, her eyebrows raised. She was trying to send me a signal. "I bet all of Garron's female demons act this way, huh, Ame? Was Lucy like this bad too?"

"You bet," I replied, sighing. I was acting along. "She said she was going to marry Garron and become his lover. They were gonna bathe together, have little demon children and everything…"

"What?" the lady demon screamed, outraged. Well, my plan had officially worked. Getting her riled up meant that she had less control, and it would be much easier for us to defeat her if she was in a rage and not in control of her feelings.

She began to transform. Insect-like pinchers sprouted from the sides of her mouth, and centipede/lobster-like crawlers and legs protruded out from her body. Her long black hair became coarse and frizzy, and stuck to her back like a mane. I thought she was going to turn into a centipede or a spider until the thick, long, black stinger popped out from under her mini-skirt.

She was a scorpion demon!

"I got this," Mizore announced. Before the demon could even attack, Mizore froze her solid. The demon just stood there, pinchers looking deadly, stinger glistening inside the ice. I thought we had defeated her for good, but then some yellowish liquid dripped out from her stinger… and they melted right through the ice.

My mouth popped open in surprise. "Oh great, she's got poison, too." My day just got better.

The demon lady began hissing. "How dare you try to freeze me! That's it, I'm eating you ALL now…"

Ah, right. Scorpions were carnivores. Just our luck.

Moka suddenly leapt up and advanced towards the scorpion demon. "Well, you'd have to come and catch me first, won't ya?"

The demon hissed and spat. She charged towards Moka, as fast as her legs could let her go. Which, to be honest, was not that fast. At least not as fast as Moka. After a while of cat-and-mice chasing (Moka chose not to attack for some reason), the scorpion demon got tired. She had Moka cornered up against a boulder, far away from the rest of us, and was about to pierce her with her deadly, venomous stinger. The stinger shook behind her dangerously like the tail of a rattlesnake.

Nobody felt particularly worried because, well, we've all seen Moka fight. We knew that she must have had _something_ up her sleeve to use against this lesser demon. And she did… it was just not what we expected.

We all knew perfectly well that Moka was more than capable of taking care of herself… all of us except General Masaki, of course. He was new to our group, and although I was sure he already realized that Moka was a vampire, he probably didn't know just how powerful she was. Which would explain why he tried to save her.

"Stop!" he cried, throwing herself in front of Moka. He turned his head slightly towards her. "Run for-"

He never did finish his sentence. The stinger had already pierced him by that time, and much to my horror, Moka did nothing to save him. She did not knock out the scorpion demon with one kick or one punch; she did not even push General Masaki away. She just stood there, staring at him, analyzing his facial expressions as blood spurted out of his mouth. He sank to the ground, body jerking and twitching. The dark pool of blood on his chest (where the stinger had stabbed him) spread outwards across the rest of his body.

Kenta gasped in terror, and so did I. This was a horrible sight to see, even for me, and I wasn't even related to this man!

Finally, Moka decided to act. She did a spin-kick and hit the demon right across the face. Her eyes rolled into the back of her head as she flew through the air and landed somewhere far away from us, most likely unconscious.

Kenta tripped and staggered up to his dying father, tears in his eyes. He didn't speak – he was obviously still angry at his dad – but he clutched General Masaki's pale, cold hand tightly in his little warm ones.

"Moka!" Kurumu cried, upset. "What did you do that for? You clearly could have saved the General!"

Moka looked at the dying man without a hint of regret on her face.

"This was all a test," she said. "I wanted to see if he would take the blow for me or not. Obviously, none of you guys would; none of you doubt my ability. But I didn't trust this man. How could he just suddenly come up to us and expect us to believe that he's Kenta's father? And what more, he wants to help us fight Garron! What an idea."

"You killed him!" Kenta screamed, hatred in his eyes. He swiveled his head around to glare at Inner Moka. "You let him die!"

Inner Moka sighed. "I told you, I didn't trust him. He seemed so shady."

"So now what?" I demanded, my voice choking with emotion. "Now that you found out he's not actually evil – that he actually has no ulterior motive – you're just going to watch him die? You're breaking Kenta's heart, you know!"

Inner Moka pursed her lips and raised one eyebrow. She looked at me expectantly, not saying a thing.

With a yell of frustration, I stomped towards Kenta and the dying body of his father. I was going to save him, even if Moka wouldn't. Sometimes, Moka could really be a cold, heartless b*tch… Not that I hated her for it. I still respected her and trusted her with my life. She had her reasons, I was sure… but to hurt Kenta over some stupid test? To kill his father – who actually turned out to be a decent guy – just to see if he was lying?

"Move over!" I snapped, pushing Kenta away from General Masaki. The tears in my eyes were blurring my vision, and I quickly wiped them away.

"What are you doing?" Kenta demanded, crawling back towards the General's body. I could tell that he was getting close to biting me. The look of utter hopelessness and desperation on his face said it all.

"I'm going to save your dad," I replied angrily, closing my eyes. "If Moka won't do anything about it, then I will. I didn't get these frickin' angel charms for nothing, you know."

Kenta kneeled there, speechless. I didn't pay any further attention to him, though. Instead, I concentrated on drawing up my angelic side to its full potential. I tried to crush my demon side, commanding it to stay as low and as insignificant as possible. The angel side – the healing side – was what I wanted and needed the most right now in order to save Kenta's dad.

_Alright, show me what you got!_ I said to myself.

I felt the angelic side within me; it was like a cloud of fluffy, gentle, feathery goodness. I drew it all up – as much as I possible could – and then pushed it straight down into my fingertips. My angelic powers were concentrated there, in my fingers, sending prickly, tingling sensations up my arm. I placed my fingertips and my palm over General Masaki's wound. By now, his compexion had turned deathly grey, and his wound was oozing nasty yellow puss. Grimacing, I forcefully willed all the fluffy goodness into the injury, pushing the healing energy deep inside the body of the General.

_I have to save him, I have to save him,_ was all I thought while I was doing this. It was the only thought in my mind that I repeated over and over like a broken record. _He needs to survive… Kenta's depending on me… I have to save him._

It didn't go how I thought it would, though. I thought that just me sending my healing powers into him was enough; I didn't expect it to rebound right back into me. Not my healing powers, no… it stayed inside General Masaki. What rebounded into me was the injury. All the pain, the pressure, and the critical signs of the wound were pushed into my body. I literally felt the pain that General Masaki was in! It was like I had sucked all of the poison and venom out of him and into my body.

With a sharp cry, I flew off of General Masaki's body and onto the ground. I lay there, holding my chest and whimpering (trying to nurse the invisible, non-existent wound on my chest). I had my eyes squeezed shut; I didn't dare open them, in fear of tears pouring out.

"Are you okay?" Kiseki demanded urgently. His voice came from nowhere. He slid an arm under my torso and pulled me up into a sitting position.

It took a long time for me to catch my breath and answer him.

"I'm… fine," I gasped, blinking. "How's… General?"

"He's fine," Moka replied, suddenly appearing in my field of vision. "You did a great job, Ame, exactly what I expected of you. He's all healed up and alive, thanks to you!"

I glared at her with all the energy I could muster (which was not that much, considering I had spent almost all of it only a few seconds ago). "Moka… I swear, one day your devious plans are going to backfire on you. What if I hadn't saved General Masaki? What would you do then?"

Moka shrugged easily. "But you will. And you did. I knew you could do it."

I rolled my eyes, getting up. The pain in my chest had lessened considerably, and I was able to walk. I limped over towards the General, assessing his health and situation.

He placed a hand on my shoulder, looking at me with renewed respect. "Thank you, young lady. Now that you've saved me, I might have a few more years to spend with my son. You have my sincere gratitude."

"You're welcome," I replied, smiling weakly. "It's all good. After all, now we know that you're not going to hurt us, right?"

"Of course not," he replied, shaking his head firmly. "I owe my life to you."

_Well, that sure had its pros and cons_, I thought to myself as we continued to hike towards the Headmaster's garden. _Con: both General Masaki and I almost died. Pro: we found out that General Masaki is not actually a bad guy. _

I shook my head. _Moka, oh Moka… just what are we going to do with you? More importantly, what are we going to do __without__ you…?_

Fortunately, we made it to the Headmaster's building without any more disturbances on the way. No more demons leapt into our way, no one got injured, and no one died. We did, however, hear the screams and the battle-cries of everyone else around us. Most of them were near the grassy campus fields, I believed. It was worrying me; the enemy was getting closer and closer to central campus. We had to find Garron, and fast.

We had to get to the Fountain of Holy Water.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong>

Hey! Thanks for reading :D

I hoped you enjoyed this chapter~

And sorry for the delay on them reaching the actual garden. I just had to make sure that General Masaki was trustworthy first ;) He is, believe me, no matter how sudden his appearance was… Yeah, I suppose I just had to convince all of you guys.

Well, please anticipate the next chapter! They're actually gonna find and enter the garden then :P

- ACookieZ


	49. Chapter 49

**Angel vs. Demon**

Chapter 49 – The Fountain of Holy Water

"This is it," Tsukune whispered, looking a little nervous. He had his hand on the gate, getting ready to push it open. "All set, guys?"

"You bet," Kurumu replied grimly, a determined expression on her face.

I was ready as well, except I felt just a wee bit intimidated. This was no backyard garden, or even a small park garden. Just the size of the black iron gate was massive, and (when you peered inside through the bars) you could see greenery growing all around from every corner. It was hard to peek inside the garden, though, because so many of the green leafy vines growing from the ground snaked up and twisted around the bars of the gate like ivy. The top of the gate went way past our heads; it had to be twice the height of a grown human man. Forget "garden"! This area was more like a farmland.

Hesitantly, Tsukune pushed the black iron gate open. The loose strands of monster ivy fell off of the open lock and to the ground. It seemed like someone had already broken into the garden! Well, at least we know that we're in the right place. Garron had been here and gone in, without a doubt. The singed and burned plant leaves on the ground were proof of that.

We hardly dared to talk as we tip-toed into through the entrance one by one. The atmosphere was just so enchanting; I felt like if we made one wrong move – stepped on a flower by mistake, reached out to touch the wrong plant, etc. – we'd break the magical spell that had been cast over us. The garden just felt that special.

"Follow the pebbly stone path," Yukari whispered, pointing to our left. Indeed, there was a silver-and-grey stone pebble path in that direction, heading away from us and twisting out of sight.

That was the only path we saw that was available to us, so we decided to take it. Cutting through the magical monster-plants and enchanted flowers seemed to be a risky option, so we listened to Yukari and followed the pebbly, grainy stone path. I felt strangely like Dorothy and her friends on their journey to visit the Wizard of Oz – you know, "follow the yellow brick road" and whatnot. I wasn't sure if the monsters in this world knew about those human stories or not… I doubted they did.

Anyway, after what seemed like forever, the sandy pebble path came to an end. It ended right before a small, antique-looking white fence. It clearly wasn't meant to be taken seriously; the white picked fence only reached up to our waists. I supposed that it was just there to separate designated areas and cut off transition zones.

So… what lay beyond that small white fence?

We couldn't be sure. Green deciduous trees (with abnormally large leaves the size of deflated soccer balls) blocked our view. Tsukune – who was at the very front of the group – took a deep breath and pushed the leaves aside… to reveal the Fountain of Holy Water.

We had finally reached out destination… and it simply took my breath away.

The fountain was nothing like those small bird-bath fountains or mediocre-sized water fountains you see in the human world… This Holy Fountain was as big as an ancient fir tree growing in the wild on top of some mountain. I wouldn't be able to make this reference with my monster friends (since I didn't know if they'd get it or not), but the size of this fountain reminded me of those giant decorated Christmas trees you see in the mall every year for the Winter Holidays. You know, the ones that reach all the way up to the ceiling… so thick in diameter that it takes more than ten children standing together hand-in-hand to circle the tree completely.

The Fountain of Holy Water was like that, except it had three levels. The top one (which was also the smallest) spurted water into the bottom one in the middle (which was medium-sized), and the water from that one flowed into the lowest level (which was, of course, the largest). The fountain looked to be made out of marble, and there were carvings of angels fighting demons all around the sides of the fountain.

My friends and I stood there for a few more moments, just staring at it in awe.

"So, done admiring it yet?" a male voice spoke from behind the huge fountain. My eyes snapped towards the sound of the voice, and I felt dread in my heart as I saw Garron casually step out from behind the fountain and stride towards us.

"Ah, Ame, you've finally arrived!" he exclaimed, greeting me with a malevolent smile. "How I've been waiting for your arrival. And the others, too, of course."

Garron's eyes suddenly zeroed in on General Masaki. He narrowed his eyes at him suspiciously. "Oh, what's this? What are you doing, accompanying them here, General?"

General Masaki clenched his fists tight and smiled at Garron. Slowly, he reached his hands towards his chest, where all his badges of honor were. Without taking his eyes off of Garron's face, General Masaki ripped all of them off. He casually tossed the handful of honor badges and pins at Garron's feet.

"I quit," he said simply. "I've had enough of you ordering me around. Before, I couldn't fight you one-on-one… because you were never on your own. Now that you're all alone, how about we settle our old scores once and for all, huh?"

"Don't joke with me, old man," Garron spat, twisting his mouth unpleasantly. "Remember our agreement? Remember what would happen to your wife and your child if you betrayed me?"

"I have my child right here," General Masaki declared, placing a firm hand on Kenta's shoulder. Kenta flinched and twitched away from the General's touch, but did not shake his hand off.

"Ha! I should have known that you two would find each other here. Small world, eh? I should have gotten rid of your bastard child when I had the chance." Garron sighed impatiently. "No matter; it's all good. I'll get rid of the both of you right here, right now. It'll save me time, too."

General Masaki glared at Garron and tightened his grip on Kenta's shoulder, daring him to make a threatening move. Garron didn't. He continued speaking.

"You see this fountain?" he said suddenly, completely side-tracking us. I didn't know who was getting distracted; us or him. "See how the water's all clean, clear, and pure right now…?"

We saw; the water was indeed clear and unsoiled.

"Here, come over to my side of the fountain for a moment." Garron gestured towards us, motioning with his hands to get us closer to him.

Moka raised her eyebrow and gave him an "are-you-f*ckin'-serious?" face. Although her expression was quite comical, I knew where she was coming from. I mean, Garron was threatening to kill us just a second ago (or, at least, kill General Masaki and Kenta), and now he was going to pretend like nothing had happened? He wanted us to go over there to him, closer to danger and death and evil, and appraise the fountain with him? He was crazy! I didn't know much about monster psychology, but I knew that Garron wasn't sane. He was freakin' _in_sane.

When Garron saw that none of us were moving, he rolled his eyes. He took many giant steps backwards, farther away from us. He made sure we kept him in sight, and even put his hands over his head to ensure that he had nothing up his sleeves.

"Well, what are you waiting for?" he asked impatiently. "Go on, take a look. Trust me, if I wanted to kill you, you'd all be dead by now. I just want to explain some things to you first. You know, let you all die in a less ignorant than you are now."

To my surprise, Moka was the first one to move. She strode over and – without getting too close to it – took a look at Garron's side of the fountain. Her eyes widened in surprise, and that got everyone else interested. We all hurried over to that side of the fountain.

I peeked over the tall broad shoulders of Kiseki and General Masaki to look. I had to stand on my tippy-toes to see over them. And what I saw… Well, I really didn't know how it was possible. Moka was right to look surprised, that was for sure.

"What is this?" Yukari cried, not comprehending. "How can this be possible…?"

Garron smirked triumphantly. "Oh, it's very possible, trust me. I made this happen."

He made it happen? He made the half the water in the fountain go blood-red? It was like someone dripped blood into the centre of the fountain and never cleaned it out. Normally this wouldn't sound too abnormal, but this was the Headmaster's "magical" holy fountain…! The whole point of it was that nothing (and absolutely _nothing_) could pollute or corrupt the clean water. So just how the hell did the blood get in there?

"It's a curse," Garron said proudly. "_My_ curse, to be precise. Every time someone from Yokai Academy is killed, their drops of blood leak into the fountain."

I looked at the dark pool of blood in horror. It was rapidly spreading and getting bigger, and it darkened the holy water until it turned opaque. Garron means to tell me that those were the blood of the students and teachers at Yokai…? Those were the blood of those that had fought bravely and died?

"As soon as this fountain is filled up completely with blood, I will finally be able to completely restore my powers." Garron closed his eyes in satisfaction, a small smile lingering on his lips. "My army would have destroyed almost all of your little friends and colleagues by then, and the minions would break through the rest of the defenses and barriers of Yokai Acadmey and enter the very heart of it…"

I gasped silently in horror. So this was what Garron had planned! Not only did he want to get revenge on the Headmaster (and through such underhand ways as corrupting his holy fountain), he also wanted to kill all of the residents here at Yokai Academy. The deepening red pool of blood proved this to be true.

"The time is almost up, my friends!" Garron announced, throwing his arms out wide. "How I will miss you all when you die…"

"…Not~" he grins, holding his hand up in front of him. With his palm facing us, he shot out a dark bolt of pure black energy. It was like a giant, lethal frisbee - disk-shaped and wide… wide enough to cut everyone in the group in half.

Moka agilely jumps up and avoids getting hit, and Tsukune leaps to the sides and into the large bushes nearby. General Masaki skillfully leapt up onto the thick branch of a nearby tree, while Kurumu flew up safely into the air, dragging Mizore up by her armpits. Yukari and Kenta dodged the dark disk-shaped slicer and jumped back several feet, avoiding injuries.

I took note of all this in a matter of milliseconds, which I was extremely proud of. Normally, it would take me much longer to register what had happened and where the others had gone before they –

"AME, GET DOWN!" Kiseki shouted, throwing himself at me. He tackled me to the ground, positioning his body on top of mine. I looked up at his face just in time to see the dark disc graze past the top of his head. A few strands of Kiseki's dark hair – sliced in half by the black disc – fluttered down around my face.

"Kiseki…" I whispered, so stunned that I couldn't move. I didn't even blink; I just stared at his face, at the pieces of his hair that had been cut off all because of how slow and stupid I was.

"Ugh, pay more attention around you next time, Ame," he grumbled, getting off of me. "You could have gotten yourself killed!"

"I'm sorry," I blubbered, still in shock. I crawled over towards him and patted his face, just to confirm that he was alive and in one piece. My fingers lingered over the places where his hair had been cut. "I'm so sorry…"

"Why the hell are you apologizing to me?" Kiseki demanded, rolling his eyes. "You're the one that almost got hurt… not me."

I nodded, frowning. My head snapped up towards Garron's direction, and I glared at him with all the anger I could muster. Without turning around to look at Kiseki, I said, "You're right…"

Getting up, I positioned myself in front of Kiseki. We were still in the line of fire (on the ground in front of Garron), and Garron could have attacked at any moment. The others were fairly far away, so I didn't have to worry about them getting hurt just then.

I drew my arm back in a bow-and-arrow position, and envisioned a flaming arrow in my invisible bow. My target was Garron.

"Ame, what are you doing trying to fight Garron on your own?" Kiseki shouted angrily, getting up behind me. "We need to back up and retreat. NOW."

I ignored him. Garron had almost killed us, and I wasn't going to let him go easily. The others had plenty of time to prepare their attacks from their "resting" areas; meanwhile, I'll just cause a distraction for them and mess around with Garron for a bit. Hopefully enough to divert his attention away from the others… They had to be safe first.

My flaming arrow materialized in thin air and flew towards Garron at lightning speed. It didn't pierce through his chest at all, though, like I'd meant it to. Garron held up his open hand in front of him, facing the arrow, and swallowed it up whole into his palm. Well, not directly into his palm and flesh, obviously. Some sort of weird dark energy just concentrated in front of Garron's palm and ate my arrow, like a black hole.

"You'll have to do better than that to deter me, Ame," Garron said, smirking.

With an angry grunt, Inner Moka suddenly leaped out from the trees. She sprinted towards Garron and attempted to kick him sky-high into the air, like she normally would to half of her enemies. Garron proved to be an equal match for Moka, though. He dodged her attack easily, and thus the combat began.

Garron moved to punch Moka in the face; Moka would just duck down and sweep her leg over the ground to trip Garron where he was standing. Garron would then jump up (to avoid Moka's feet), and attempt to smash her down on her head. Moka would then dodge to the side and give him a right hook to the temple… etc. etc. This was going to be a never-ending fight.

Finally, General Masaki entered the scene. He looked to be impatient with just watching Moka fight, and said: "I have some things to settle with Garron." He invited himself in on the fight and began to attack Garron as well.

Even with two opponents, Garron still did not break a sweat. I thought he was only good at the controlling-people's-minds and the demonic-power stuff… I didn't know he was good at hand-to-hand combat too. I mean, he used his demon powers to fend Moka and General Masaki off a few times, yes, but he was still a lot quicker than I expected. His physical abilities definitely surpassed those of a common demon's, and might even rival a vampire's.

General Masaki's fighting techniques were drastically different from Moka's… given that he's not a vampire, of course. I'd never actually seen a full dog-demon in action. I'd seen Kenta fight plenty of times, but he was still only half-human; he couldn't fully transform into dog-demon mode, nor could he use the powers of a true dog-demon.

When General Masaki transformed, it wasn't at all like Gin's transformation, or even Kenta's… Gin just kind of sprouted fur and burst out of his clothing. Kenta simply heightened his canine qualities. Mr. Masaki's clothes dissolved into this glowing aura and spun around him, creating a whirlwind of power. His body sprouted golden-colored fur, and they glowed with energy.

Every move he made – every offense he had – seemed almost invisible with speed. I could immediately tell that a dog-demon's strong points were his speed, agility, and their claws and teeth (that seemed lethal enough to tear chunks and limbs off of one's body with a single bite). That might seem very mundane (I mean, even normal dogs in the human world had claws, teeth, speed, and agility), but this was a demon, not your average monster or animal. In fact, dog-demons kind of reminded me of werewolves (they shared some similar qualities), but while the werewolf relied on their strength, size, and brute force, dog-demons used their speed and wit to their advantage. They were kind of similar to vampires, in that sense… with such unbelievable power stored inside an average build. You didn't see Moka or Kiseki expanding to be twice as big, but they could easily defeat monsters ten times their size. Just like dog-demons.

"How come your fur's not golden?" I suddenly heard Yukari ask Kenta from their side of the clearing.

I saw Kenta shrug. "It's like the color of human's hair… it varies with each individual, I guess. The more powerful you are, the more majestic and royal the color of your fur is. Usually, average dog-demon fur is brown-colored. The most common one is grey."

Yukari nodded, satisfied with this new bit of information. Then, I suddenly noticed Kurumu shifting from her position behind some bushes.

"Ugh, this is taking way too long," she grumbled, looking at the fight. "From what I can tell, this is very bad… Sooner or later one of them is going to get tired, and the other one will get hurt. I can't keep watching like this… What do you say we all go help them?"

"We can't," Mizore answered. Her pale eyebrows scrunched together. "Fighting nine-on-one just isn't going to work. If our target was big enough, maybe. But if we just go in at it like this, then doubtlessly we're going to end up hurting each other before we even defeat Garron. I say we wait until Moka and General Masaki retreat, then you and I will go or something. Let's go in groups of two or three. We will keep Garron busy like this, and try to tire him out. Then we might have a chance of defeating him."

"Mizore…" Kurumu looked at her in wonder, with newfound respect. "I never knew you were this smart…!"

Mizore merely rolled her frosty blue eyes and took out a lollipop to suck on.

Even though I heard all of what Mizore said, I still couldn't sit here patiently waiting for the fight to end. With every passing second, the blood in the Holy Fountain stretched out and intensified some more. It got to the point where half of the entire bottom section of the fountain was filled with red blood… and that was pretty big.

Garron probably wasn't even fighting seriously or giving us all he got; he must have just wanted to prolong the time and wait till his army thoroughly defeated ours. I felt sick to my stomach… I couldn't stand this a moment longer.

Suddenly, a huge black shadow darkened our surroundings. It was either that, or rain clouds were passing over the sun and we were going to have a serious thunderstorm.

_Ah, I should have guessed!_ I said to myself, sighing knowingly. It was Apollo, of course. He was in his true Harbinger/Gargoyle form, with his solid grey wings stretched out and his claws extended.

Moka and General Masaki had stopped fighting Garron; they were all staring at Apollo. Apollo, acknowledging this, surveyed his surroundings and took in the sight of us (hiding in various different spots), and the tired and sweaty looks of Moka, General Masaki, and Garron. Apollo chose to ignore us and speak to Garron, instead.

"We meet again," Apollo said to him, his face expressionless.

Garron narrowed his eyes in confusion, staring at Apollo. Then his eyes suddenly went wide and he gasped.

"It's you!" he cried, sounding shocked and slightly outraged. "From hundreds of years ago… I asked you to join me. And you refused because you're a stupid son-of-a – Huh, I remember you… Yes, you're that human-loving Harbinger-bastard!"

"I've never heard that nickname before," Apollo replied, lips twisting in amusement. "I'd have to add that to my long list of aliases."

Garron growled. "What are you doing here? Has some sense finally gotten into your head? Were you maybe considering joining forces with me now…? It might be too late, but given the right circumstances, I might just allow you to–,"

"I'm not here for _you_." Apollo answered, looking disgusted by the very thought of the idea. "Some of the people here convinced me to fight for what is right, you see… and that – to me – means getting rid of the main problem at hand. You can probably guess why I'm here, Garron Lived. YOU are the main problem here… and I will not hesitate to eradicate that problem."

Garron laughed. "You think getting rid of me will solve everything? You think it will put an end to all this…? And – how naïve! – you really think that getting rid of me is going to be so easy?"

Apollo glared at Garron with contempt. "Of course not. You've been alive for hundreds of years, although still a youngster by my standards. And as for solving the problem… we have to deal with things one at a time, correct? So my current focus will be wiping you off of the face of the Earth. I've lived long enough – believe me, I have – and I think I might just know what your weaknesses are."

For the first time, Garron looked somewhat frightened. He was less sure of himself, and he didn't make any smart-ass comebacks or retorts this time. Then, after a few heartbeats, he had the usual cocky grin plastered back on his face again.

"Well, bring it on, Harbinger," he said. Garron entered into a fighting stance.

"Gladly." Apollo answered.

The two began to battle.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong>

Hello again! Thanks for sticking with me and reading this far… that makes me really happy x3

I have to apologize for the semi-cliffhanger and not continuing with the battle, though… it will have to be continued in the next chapter. This chapter has already gotten too long :/

Anyway, I hope you liked the Headmaster's garden! And his fountain, of course. I tried to describe it as best as I could without spending too many lengthy paragraphs on it :P

Well, stick around for the next chapter! That's where it gets reaaally interesting ;). And a bit sad, I might add… (*wink-wink, nudge-nudge*)

- ACookieZ


	50. Chapter 50

**Angel vs. Demon**

Chapter 50 – Victory comes with Loss

I've never actually seen a Harbinger fight before. And neither had Moka or the others, I guessed. They were thought to be an extinct monster species up till now, and seeing one so alive and strong… well, it was hard to comprehend and register, to say the least. At least for my puny human mind, anyway.

Garron made the first move. He started off surprisingly mundane, by sprinting towards Apollo and fighting him physically, like a vampire. He punched Apollo, kicked at him, and jabbed in various places.

"What the hell is he doing…?" Kenta muttered, squinting at Garron.

"I know what he's doing," General Masaki replied. "He's testing Apollo's defenses… trying to find his weak spot. I can bet that Apollo's skin is like rock; not easily to wound. Kind of like an armor. Garron would have to find that Achilles Hell of his."

Kenta didn't say anything afterwards, probably because it was his father who spoke. The half-dog-demon didn't even look at General Masaki… he just stared straight ahead, looking at the fight scene. Trying to ignore his biological dad.

Apollo dodged all of Garron's punches, and levitated off of the ground whenever Garron tried to kick at him. Apollo wasn't attacking, that was obvious; he wasn't giving anything away. That was quite smart of him.

With a yell, Garron tried to smash his fist into Apollo's nose. Apollo ducked down, and – with his rock-hard, grey tail – swept it across the ground under Garron's foot. Garron lost his balance for a moment, but other than that, was not wounded.

Now, instead of fighting him on ground, Garron kept leaping up into the air and attacking from above. He would try to drop down on top of Apollo with his hands reached out for his long harbinger horns, probably trying to ride him like a bull. Apollo swept his wing across his head before Garron could land on him, though. His wing – which looked like any normal monster wing – sliced across Garron's chest like a sword. It drew blood, Garron's blood, and made the Demon Lord wince and jump back.

Garron hardly looked at his chest wound, though. He immediately responded by charging up to Apollo again and punching him in the face. It wasn't a normal punch, though… this one was packed full of deadly demon powers. Garron had stopped a few meters away from Apollo and – without actually getting physically close to him – motioned a punch to his face. I didn't understand what I was doing, at first. I thought this was some kind of joke (just how the hell was Garron supposed to hurt Apollo by faking punches at his face meters away from him?), but I was wrong.

After he punched the air, it was like a dark shadow echoed out of his body. A giant, wispy black fist (the size of a small boulder) materialized out of Garron's own clenched hand and flew towards Apollo at blinding speed. It was like Garron had summoned his inner shadow self or something; the giant dark shadowy fist was like his avatar. It did the punching for Garron.

Apollo, spreading his gargoyle wings, flew up into the air, barely missing Garron's shadow fist. It skimmed under the tip of his tail.

"Impressive," Apollo commented, hovering in midair. "You must have practiced a lot over the years to achieve such a feat."

Garron ignored Apollo completely. He looked extremely pissed off that his shadow fist hadn't gotten its target.

"My turn now," Apollo said. He breathed in a deep breath of fresh air, and then – a few heartbeats later – let out a big gust of harbinger fire. Garron had no way of dodging it, because it was like a cloud; it floated everywhere around him. The fire latched on to Garron's clothes and envelope him in its blaze.

_It's over,_ I thought immediately. _The fire's gonna kill Garron._

Tipping his head back, Garron suddenly laughed, surprising everyone. We'd all thought he'd be in pain or something… but he looked like he was enjoying it. Garron simply bathed in the flames.

"Harbinger, who do you think I am?" he asked incredulously, giving him a sneer. "I'm the Lord of the Demon Realm… King of the Underworld. I _live _and _breathe_ fire! What do you think happened to me when the Headmaster banished me underground for all those centuries…? He drowned me in a pit of fire, that's what. Of course, I'd also suffered from lots of other punishments, but I am comfortable with fire now. I had become immune to it… I learned to use it to my advantage."

Garron raised his arms up above his head, and (as if following his commands) the fire lifted off of his body and gathered up at his head in a giant ball of flames. Garron himself was unscathed, stunning everyone. He began to mold the fire, taking it apart into little chunks with his hands, and then returning it back together again. He did this over and over until I almost became dizzy. Then, Garron flung the balls of fire at Apollo.

Apollo dodged that easily. He seemed to be pondering something. A few moments later, he gathered a ball of fire in his hands again.

"What, trying this trick on me again, old man?" Garron asked, smirking confidently. "It's getting a bit old, you know. You might want to learn new ones first before-,"

Apollo silenced him by shoving the ball of flames at his face. Of course, Garron did nothing to reject it; he accepted the harbinger fire and began to mold it up again. It became like a game between the two, just passing the fire-ball back and forth. It was disturbing to watch.

Garron had successfully transformed the fire into a tight sphere. He was just getting ready to launch it back to Apollo, when a stream of water suddenly smacked Garron right in the chest.

I watched Apollo in shock. He had drawn up water from the Holy Fountain, and sent it at Garron like a water-gun, straight into his chest. The fire was only a distraction to take Garron's mind off of any counterattacks before Apollo strikes. It was quite clever, actually.

"DAMN YOU!" Garron shouted loudly as the harbinger fire deduced into ashes at his feet. Where the water from the fountain had touched him, a sizzling sound was heard. The holy water had burned a hole in Garron's chest, and he seemed to have trouble breathing.

"Well, that's what you get when you ask for a fight out here next to the Fountain of Holy Water," Mizore muttered, nodding like she expected it.

"Everyone, NOW!" Apollo bellowed. Immediately, everyone got up and rushed to the scene. Kurumu flew out from the trees on her wings and made herself hover above Garron in midair, dragging me with her. We positioned ourselves there, making sure that Garron would be able to escape through air. General Masaki, Mizore, and the others positioned themselves around the clearing in a tight circle around Garron so that he wouldn't be able to run away on ground, either.

Basically, we all ganged up on him like a group of schoolyard bullies. It made me kind of ashamed of ourselves.

We launched series of attacks on him, all at once. Since Garron was drenched with holy water, he did not resist much. It was like he had made up his mind about something; he even looked like he had accomplished something great. He smiled while we attacked him, taking in all the blows.

_I know what he's thinking,_ I thought to myself sadly, _he's trying to give his army as much time as possible. He's not even resisting our attacks, because he sees no point! As soon as his army gets past the defenses, he's going to revitalize himself anyway… and none of us would be able to defeat him then._

I kept on thinking like this as the seconds ticked away. Minutes later, after suffering from all the attacks and abuse, Garron was quite beaten up from everyone ganging up on him.

As he lay down on the ground (panting and with blood sprouting out from various places), I couldn't help but feel like we stood a chance. I also couldn't help but feel pity for Garron, at the same time. In the end, we had all fought Garron ten-on-one (or something like that), and admittedly it was kind on unjust.

But all was fair in love and war, wasn't it…?

I looked around at my friends and allies around me. General Masaki panted heavily, as did Kenta, but being demons and all (even if Kenta was only half), they seemed to absorb their enemies' dark energy and only seemed mildly tired. Even Tsukune looked worn out. Despite him having supernatural powers and amazing abilities, he was still sort-of human like I was.

What made me feel bad, though, was while everyone else was wounded, bleeding, and sweating, I wasn't any of them. I wasn't hurt, wasn't bleeding… the only thing I was, was out of breath. I didn't really physically help out during the battle… I just conjured up many weapons and barriers. Despite the minimal amount of physical labor I did, I still felt abnormally tired, like I was going to drop dead any minutes now. It was like I ran a marathon… inside my head.

Moka seemed to notice how tired everyone was.

"Ame, make a protective barrier, and get everyone that should be in there, in there." she commanded. Looking up, I stared quizzically at her.

"We're almost finished here," Moka explained. "Once that vermin dies, I'm guessing an extreme burst of dark energy is going to explode out of him. Perhaps due to all the evil he's kept within himself all these years. We have to get everyone safe before that happens. Plus everyone's tired already… I don't think they can handle another fight."

"Got it," I replied, setting straight to work. Ignoring the wary protests my body made, I closed my eyes and concentrated, imagining a bright, glowing dome enlarge around everyone… except Apollo, General Masaki, Moka, Kiseki, and I. I didn't feel haughty or proud that we'll be the last ones fighting; in fact, I feared for my life as I strengthened up my barrier.

_I have to protect everyone,_ I thought. _Nothing bad can get in, and nothing good can get out._

So basically, Garron's demonic surge of power won't be able to penetrate through my barrier, but nobody on the inside will be able to escape, either.

Suddenly, Garron groaned and struggled to get up. Immediately, everyone turned their heads towards him. He was the last one left; we had to keep our eyes on him.

Moka dug her feet into the ground, ready for the last round. I held my hands out in front of me, ready to fight back with any means necessary. Kiseki just loosened up and squared his shoulders.

"Huh," Garron suddenly croaked, spitting out blood. "This will never work, fools. Fighting me this way will only weaken me _physically_. I will never die, you understand? I will only be banished into the Demon Realm, and heal myself once again. It won't matter how long it will take; I will still be back."

Moka's eyes narrowed dangerously, and I could feel her opposition bubbling up and swirling around her.

"Are you trying to delude us?" I asked, before Moka could say or do anything to him. "Because if you are, we're not listening to you. Maybe you're just telling us this to trick us… for many obvious reasons."

"No," General Masaki said slowly. "He's right… I'm a demon; I used to stay in the Demon Realm. People have to sacrifice themselves to keep evil at bay… it's been like that since the dawn of time. In the early stages of humanity, sacrifices were made to the gods and the demons to keep them satisfied, right? The sacrifices have always been that way. A good, pure soul will have to take the evil inside of them and end themselves!"

Moka processed this, and then tossed her hair back and strode up to Garron. The look on her face said that she didn't care whether the information was true or not; she just wanted to end him permanently.

"Nobody hurts the people I love, you hear me?" she declared. "And nobody damages this school. I _like_ this school… and these people behind me. You hear what the General said about a sacrifice? Well, it will be your own life, you fool."

Moka was just about to launch her attack when, out of nowhere, General Masaki zoomed in front of her. With great speed and agility, he head-butted Moka through the walls of my barrier and forced her inside of it.

Moka let out a small gasp as the air flew out of her. General Masaki had aimed for her stomach.

"Dog, why did you do that for?" she demanded, hissing. She pounded against my barrier, but she couldn't get out. I bit my lip… should I let her out? But then that would mean breaking the barrier… and everyone inside it would be able to get out. They could all be in danger.

The General then tackled Kiseki and tossed him in the barrier as well. Kiseki didn't try as hard to escape, though. He just glared and Mr. Masaki, a questioning look on his face.

Before I could react completely, General Masaki then tossed me into the barrier as well. Now, keep in mind that all that happened in like two seconds flat. Every happened too fast for anyone to react, let alone stop it. Other than Apollo, General Masaki was the only one left outside of the barrier.

"What are you doing?" Kenta demanded, looking worried. "You…"

"I knew it!" Apollo cried, nose tilting up in disdain. "This dog here is a traitor… he betrayed both his Master and us! Why were you children stupid enough to trust this suspicious dog in the first place?"

My heart sank. Great, so Garron might have a chance of succeeding now. General Masaki could easily whisk Garron away to the underworld and let him revive himself… I just couldn't believe Kenta's father could do this to us.

"You'll have to get through me, first, before you can even think of doing anything else," Apollo said menacingly to the General. "The thought of a puny thing like you turning the tables on us is simply ludicrous!"

"Please, you have this all wrong!" General Masaki cried, looking astonished at how the situation had changed so fast. "I don't want to fight any of you. Especially not you, harbinger. I would have pushed you back into the protective barrier too, if I could, but I knew you'd probably destroy me even before I touch you. So… I guess you'll just have to stay outside to witness my last act."

"Your last… what?" Moka repeated incredulously, an eyebrow raised.

General Masaki stared down at the ground, not answering Moka. "He's right," he muttered.

Everyone looked confused. "What?"

General Masaki raised his head and glared at Garron, who was still lying on the ground, barely breathing.

"Garron's right," he repeated. "He can't die. We can only wound him physically. I'm a demon, children, as I have said before… and don't forget that I'm also his General. I've seen him heal his wounds in the Demon Realm. When I tried to escape, I was captured by his men and punished. I was forced to stay by his side and witness his rejuvenation."

Garron, despite his injuries, smirked. "I'd hardly call it punishment, old man. You were the best warrior I had… did you think I would give you up easily? I even had to threaten some of your dear loved ones to get you back!"

A dark look crossed General Masaki's face. "I won't let you harm anyone ever again, Garron Lived."

A look of realization crossed everyone's face as we watched this man stride over to where Garron was lying.

"No!" Kenta screamed. He threw himself against Yukari, who was struggling to hold him back. "Dad, don't do this! Please…!"

Shocked, General Masaki turned around. Kenta hadn't called him "Dad", ever, as far as we knew. As sweet as Kenta was, his dad's "betrayal" of him and his mother just wounded him. Now, however, Kenta seemed to be making it up to him.

"Kenta…" General Masaki said lovingly. His eyes softened, and he smiled gently.

"I've been a horrible father, I know," he said. "That's why I'm going to make it up to you. I… When I found out that your mother had remarried, I was heartbroken. I know I should have done something about it… and I won't give any petty excuses on why I didn't. But now, Kenta, I'm going to make it up to you both."

General Masaki took a deep, shuddering breath, and then continued: "I love you, Kenta. I lost your mother, but I'm not going to lose you too."

Tears streamed down Kenta's face. He was openly crying for the first time. It seemed like everyone else was, as well. This reunion was a heartwarming one, but a bad heartwarming one. They just forgave each other, and now they were about to be split up… for good.

Turning around, General Masaki strode towards Garron. He walked faster and faster, until he was full-out sprinting. Mid-run, he transformed into his full dog-demon form. Mr. Masaki's clothes dissolved and whirled around his body, creating the usual glowing aura. His fur was tinted golden, and they glowed with energy.

"I take in all the evil that Garron Lived possesses," he declared loudly, "and I offer to be destroyed along with it, taking him with me. Garron Lived shall live no more!"

It was an extraordinary sight. Dark smoke - that seemed to glimmer and change form - emitted out of Garron's facial openings; his eyes, his nose, his ears and his mouth. It wafted towards General Masaki, and got sucked into him. It was extraordinary, and extremely disturbing. I remembered that it was similar to when I first saw Garron use his powers… how he sucked out the life force of the squirrel. And, perhaps, similar to how he sucked the angelic essence out of me.

The General, suspended in midair, shuddered briefly. I heard sobbing coming from behind me. I didn't weep, though… I couldn't feel anything. I was just so numb. So completely numb.

Suddenly, just as Moka predicted, Mr. Masaki couldn't handle all the darkness and evil stored into him… and it exploded. The dark energy escaped out of the now battered General, and seemed to be filtered through him. The darkness dispersed into the afternoon, and General Masaki collapsed on the ground. Behind him, Garron didn't disappear, much to my confusion. He just passed out and collapsed, like General Masaki.

Immediately, the flood gate seemed to burst open, and then I just broke down and wept. I dropped to the ground, breaking my barrier, and cried. Kiseki bent down beside me, and wrapped his arm around my shoulders. My tears soaked his uniform, but he didn't seem to care.

As soon as my shield was down, Kenta ran towards his father. He dropped down beside him and cradled his head in his lap, sobbing. My heart wrenched. I buried my head into Kiseki's shirt, and closed my eyes.

"Finally, the Devil is gone," Apollo murmured, suddenly appearing at my shoulder.

"The devil?" I sniffled, wiping my tears as I looked up at his face. I thought the devil was some giant red monster that had horns and a tail and a pitchfork.

"Garron Lived? "Lived"? Have you even thought of what that might spell backwards?" Apollo whispered to me, shaking his head at my stupidity. "Even the fake name he created was such a dead giveaway."

"Garron 'Lived'… '_lived_'… oh my gosh." Despite recent events, my eyes still widened further and I gasped lightly. Then, I finally snapped. I began laughing and crying hysterically all at the same time.

"How obvious!" I cried, shaking my head. Tears flew everywhere. "Why didn't I think of that before…? And now… now Garron's gotten to me. I don't think I'll ever be able to forget him, no matter how hard I try."

Apollo pursed his lips, but said nothing. He allowed me to clutch onto Kiseki and weep until I passed out.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong>

Hey guys! Hope you enjoyed this chapter :D

Apollo sure was powerful, wasn't he? It could even be an even match between him and Garron! Although, the only way to fully kill a harbinger would be to sever his head in while he was in his stone gargoyle form… so yeah, it would have been kind of hard for Garron to defeat Apollo. Plus Apollo is old enough to be Garron's great-great-great-grea-gre-gr-g… grandfather.

Alright, enough with the details! This chapter actually made me tear up a little, though (even though I wrote it… which makes no sense). Yeah, even though General Masaki was rescued once before, he still dies in this chapter :( And just when he finally finds his son, too! Poor Kenta… *sigh*

Well, please look forward to the next chapter! It's not as exciting, obviously, now that the battle has ended, but everything will finally be over. It's like the aftermath of it all :)

- ACookieZ


	51. Chapter 51

**Angel vs. Demon**

Chapter 51 – Finally Over

"…me? Ame?"

I opened my blurry eyes, and squinted up at the figure hovered over me. After the haziness cleared, Kiseki's face was there, covered in bandages from the battle. He leaned over me and rubbed my forehead.

"Ame, you're awake!" he cried, relieved. I sat up, and immediately the room spun around me. I felt like I was recovering from the world's worst hangover. I collapsed back down on the bed again.

"Whoa there, you've gotta rest!" Kiseki said, making sure I stayed down.

"How long was I… out?" I asked, flinching as my voice cracked noticeably. I was so thirsty; my entire body felt like it had been burned and then cooled down again, all in one session. However, I didn't think I had the energy to stomach even a drop of water.

"You were out for about two days," Kiseki answered. "You weren't hurt physically, but your mind and your body, according to the nurse, was worn out and exceeded beyond their limits. I guess everything really took a lot out of you, huh?"

Ah, that must be the reason why I felt so tired during the battle, even when I did nothing related to moving. It made sense for me to go unconscious for two day -

"Two days?" I suddenly cried as I registered exactly what that meant. My eyes went wide. Widening my eyes seemed to be the only action that I can do for now that didn't seem too painful for me. "Two whole days… Oh my God, the - How is everyone? How's the school – the students? The teachers! Oh my gosh and the Headmaster…"

"Calm down!" Kiseki ordered, laughing at me. "It's ok… it's all over now, Ame. After Garron was defeated, half of the army fell down where they were standing. They had been mind-controlled and were very confused as to why they were here at our school in the first place. They left peacefully, thank goodness. As for the rest of them – the ones that did not want to co-operate – the Headmaster dealt with them. He probably summoned some barrier or something, and returned them all back where they belonged. As of right now, the school is under extreme reparations and renovations, and new trees and plants and stuff are being planted in the woods and forests. The only building that seemed to be fully intact was the infirmary… lucky for you."

I guessed Kiseki was right. Everything really _did_ take a lot out of me, and thank goodness the infirmary was open for business. That meant that the other injured students or teachers could get some treatment, too.

But speaking of everything…

"Garron?" I asked, my eyes widening. "And Mr. Masaki?"

Kiseki was silent for a while.

"I don't know how to tell you this…" he began, "but Garr – I mean, Nicolas, Garron's physical body, seemed to have been possessed. Garron was gone for good, but Nicolas_ lived_." Kiseki paused, probably thinking of Garron's last name, and then smiled wryly. "No pun intended."

"Nicolas?" I asked with a look of confusion on my face, ignoring his bad attempt at a joke. Who was Nicolas? I'd never heard of him before.

Kiseki cleared his throat uncomfortably. "Nicolas is Garron's body. The Garron we all knew – that looked like a human – wasn't physically Garron, but a normal human called Nicolas Cage. Garron possessed his body; Nicolas was just a host to Garron. When Garron died, he just left Nicolas's body, unharmed."

My eyes widened at this new information. Suddenly, from the other room, I could hear banging. Someone seemed to be frantically scrambling away from something, and bonking into walls in the process.

"Get away from me!" a male voice cried. He had the same voice as Garron… it was Garron's voice. For a moment I felt a pang in my chest, and I shuddered in fear.

"Where am I?" Garron – no, Nicolas's voice demanded. "Who are you? I… I clearly saw a horn grow out of your head…!"

Kiseki rolled his eyes. "Yup, that's him. He doesn't remember anything."

I sighed. This was better, in a way, I guess. An innocent person was spared.

"And… Mr. Masaki?" I whispered.

Kiseki looked uncomfortable. "We're having his funeral next week. Kenta's in depression."

My eyes tightened. This was horrible. Of course, I knew that Mr. Masaki wasn't going to survive after he took in all that dark energy from Garron, but to let Kenta deal with that… that was just terrible.

Just then, a nurse knocked on the door and cleared her throat.

"Ahem, Ms. Kanmuri?" she asked. "You have a visitor waiting to speak to you."

I sat up straighter, and made sure Kiseki wasn't hovering too close to me. It was almost suffocating, the way he lingered.

"Hello, Ame," my visitor greeted. It was Apollo, and he brought a bouquet of flowers for me. They were pink and white lilies, picked fresh, I must've guessed. It certainly smelled amazing.

"Hi, Apollo!" I grinned, cautiously glancing between him and Kiseki. I wanted to make sure that there was no beef between them; I didn't want an argument breaking out as soon as I got better. "So… um, what did you come here for? I heard you wanted to speak to me…?"

"Yes. It's about a very important matter."

"Mm-hmm…"

"The battle's already over, Ame." Apollo began. "The injured are getting treated, the wounded are healing. And the campus is being rebuilt. Plus, it's almost the end of the year… you'll all be graduating soon."

"Right…"

"So there's no need for you to have powers anymore."

"What?"

"You know what I mean. These accessories you wear? Useless. They have no meaning anymore… not now, at least. You said before that you couldn't get rid of them because they were needed and necessary, correct? Now that the battle is over, you needn't be wearing them anymore. I suggest you get rid of them as soon as possible. Preferably right now, where I can watch you take them off and destroy them myself."

"Hold on just a minute," Kiseki said angrily, standing up to face Apollo. "Just who are you to tell Ame what she should and shouldn't do with her own stuff? They're her own things – it's her own life. Leave her alone, for God's sake! If she wants to keep them, then let her keep them."

Apollo glared down at Kiseki, looking displeased at his stupidity.

"You clearly don't know much about her situation, vampire. If Ame doesn't take them off, sooner or later they're going to consume her and turn her mentally insane. It would be like when she was corrupted and turned into a mindless, heartless demonic creature. Except this time there will be another power in her body struggling to take her over… the angelic side. These two conflicting sides will fight for control of her body. As you can possibly imagine, the results won't be good for Ame."

Kiseki paled visibly, looking alarmed. He turned his head back towards me, staring at my face.

"Is this true, Ame?" he asked, staring at me in disbelief. He looked shocked and hurt that I had kept this from him (and from all my other friends), and I bit down on my lip hard. I could feel all the guilt and remorse (that had gathered up since months ago) attacking at my insides. I wanted to cry, but I had no more tears left anymore. I was all cried out from two days ago.

"Look, Kiseki… I'm sorry," I whispered, not brave enough to look at his face. "What Apollo says is true. I-It had happened only a few days after I've put these things on. Remember how my blood tasted all weird, Kiseki? Well, I suppose you wouldn't think it was weird." – I paused to roll my eyes – "Sweet and Spicy blood is probably a delicacy in the vampire world. But… not only that." I began twisting my white hospital blankets around in my hands nervously. I felt like I was confessing a serious crime or offence or something. "Sometimes horns would grow out of my head without me knowing, or I'd hear these two weird voices talking to me inside my head. I think they're my conscience and stuff, but one would tell me to do good things while the other encouraged the bad. I'm just… I'm really confused, Kiseki. I want to keep these bracelets and earrings and use my powers to protect you guys and stuff, but I'm not sure if these symptoms will get worse. I just don't know what to do."

I hung my head down on my chest, eyes closed in defeat. There, I had explained everything to him… I will give him the chance to scream and run away from me; he will be free to think I'm a freak and never talk to me again. I won't stop him if he hates me forever or runs away from me. I'd completely understand if he did… because, frankly, if I were Kiseki and I had a friend as crazy and messed-up as me, then I'd definitely think twice about being her friend. I'd probably stay by her side, but I'd most likely never look at her the same way again.

"Ame's completely right," Apollo said. "And the symptoms are only going to get worse. Hmm… if I remember correctly, the late Garron had a devoted female minion of some sort…"

"He had a lot of devoted female minions," Kiseki replied sarcastically, rolling his eyes. This made me laugh a little.

"Well, yes. The point is, one of them used to be human. Lucille, I think her name was…? Or Lily. Something like that."

"Lucy?" I gasped, stunned.

"Ah, yes, it was 'Lucy'. I remember now. When Garron approached me all those years ago requesting that I join his side, he was accompanied by such a woman. A human woman."

"But that's impossible," I said, gently shaking my head. "Lucy's a demon. You know that though, don't you? You've obviously met her before in her demon form."

"You mean her _true _demon form?" Apollo asked, eyebrows raised. "Have you ever actually seen her transform before? Sure, she's definitely used her demonic powers, but if you think about it, she's never actually fully transformed. Usually, demons are 'bred' in the underworld, fashioned from other substances such as animals, and objects. That is why there are animal-hybrid demons and similar things like that. Lucy only ever uses her powers, though… nothing more."

I recalled us fighting the scorpion demon, only a few days ago. She looked like one of Garron's female minions, but she had transformed. She had actually turned into her scorpion-demon self. With a gasp, I realized that Apollo was right… there _was_ something different about Lucy.

"When the two came to me, she was still human. On her wrists she had on similar demonic bracelets that you have, and on her ears she wore similar demon earrings." Apollo looked at me meaningfully. "I warned her to take it off, but she refused. She said that her 'Master Garron' had told her to put it on, and that he accepted her for who she was even though she was turning strange. If Garron hadn't been in my way that day, I would've killed Lucy right then and there and saved her from her fate. She had gained powers, and – being the demon that she was – she gets to live five times longer than an average human's lifespan; that's all good and dandy. But everything has a price, doesn't it? She sacrificed her human self… she sacrificed her virtues, her righteous conscience, and her soul. I suppose she also sacrificed her heart, because it belonged to Garron. All that was left of her was an empty shell full of hate, jealousy, and sinful thoughts."

I shuddered. I definitely did not want to end up like that. Apollo didn't seem to notice how uncomfortable he was making me; he simply continued on with his theories and thoughts.

"Back then, though… I can bet that Garron wanted to start his own army and group of allies so badly that he resorted to forcing humans into demons. I suspect that that was the actual reason why these accessories were created in the first place… not to protect people, but to _modify_ them."

I could see from the back that Kiseki's shoulder was all tensed up. I desperately wanted to tell him to loosen up and relax… _I am different from Lucy. I wouldn't end up like her_, I wanted to say to him. _Don't worry about me. I'll be fine._

"Do you see why I want her to get rid of it, now, vampire?" Apollo demanded. "I have seen one too many humans become victim of this inhumane alteration. Either she takes it off and returns back to normal, or she turns into a psychotic angel-demon monster and I kill her."

"You wouldn't dare," Kiseki growled, taking a step closer to him.

"Oh believe me, vampire, I would." Apollo said this with absolute seriousness. "But I think you might have to choose… Ame's selfish desire to keep the charms, or her life… Which one is more important to you?"

Before Kiseki (or even I) could answer, the door to my hospital room burst open.

"CONGRATULATIONS!" Kurumu shouted, throwing her arms out at me. "I heard you finally woke up, sleepy-head! Congrats on regaining consciousness!"

"Thanks," I murmured, smiling at her affectionately.

Kurumu entered the room and invited herself to sit on my bed. Moka, Tsukune, and Mizore followed swiftly behind her, all smiling at me and saying how happy they were that I had finally woken up. Almost everyone was here… except for Kenta and Yukari. I could understand why Kenta wasn't here, but Yukari…?

"Where did Yukari go?" I asked timidly. I suddenly felt a pang of worry. "Is she badly hurt…? Did she not wake up yet?"

"No, no…" Moka replied, waving her hands in front of her. "Nothing like that. It's just… she's with Kenta, that's all. I assume that Kiseki had told you…?"

"Ah," I said in realization. Yukari was comforting him… how nice of her. I smiled to myself at how well the two were getting along recently; they were the same age, after all.

"So," Kurumu said, breaking up the tense and melancholy atmosphere, "who wants cookies?"

I happily accepted this diversion, sitting up a little straighter. "Me! I want cookies~"

Kurumu grinned as she unwrapped a bag for me. "I baked this myself while you were unconscious. I made your favorite, too… chocolate chip! I also have a few different ones for you to try out, to see if you like them. Gingersnap, and sugar and butter cookies… you know, all the good stuff." Kurumu winked at me.

I reached out and gave her a light hug. I couldn't manage much more, I was still exhausted and aching. "Thank you so much, Kurumu… you're awesome!"

"I know," she joked, tossing her ponytail over her shoulder. "I try."

I smiled, digging in on the cookies. For now, things were okay. That was all that mattered. Everyone was safe and sound (despite the recent events and Kenta's depression), and we were all together. I couldn't ask for anything more.

We just sat around in my hospital room, munched on cookies, talked about the recent events, and caught up on what I had missed while I was unconscious.

The Headmaster was fine. Nobody knew where he had gone during the fight, but I had heard rumors that he played a significant role in all of this. Obviously, he had been doing things his own way.

As for all the other students and teachers, most of them were unharmed. Some had sacrificed themselves for the future of the school, and the entire academy was in mourning. The extra pieces of grassy land that had been unused and empty near the back of the school buildings had now been turned into a memorial site. The Visual Arts teacher (who had this strange talent for creating beautiful, life-like, flawless stone figurines) had set up a statue for each monster that had died in the battle. It was eerie to see so many stone statues of people I used to know propped up on the ground, but I wouldn't have it any other way. I was glad that these heroes and heroines would be remembered for their bravery and sacrifice.

It turned out that the Headmaster (along with the other staff, doctors, and nurses) really had no idea what to do with Nicolas Cage. He'd been in the infirmary ward for as long as I'd been here, and had been treated for mental trauma and physical wounds. Clearly, he was not in his right state of mind. Even from my room all the way on the other end of the hall, we could hear him screaming and crying about demons and monsters and voices in his head.

Supposedly, from what I'd heard the nurses say, sometimes he'd even just walk around and move his body for no reason at all, just to prove that he was in control of his body. This one nurse even told me that, when she offered to help him get something, he screamed and swore at her. This was what he had apparently said: "I don't need your help! This is my own body, I can do it myself! It's my own body… my own body… I can move it. It's finally my own body…"

And so on and so forth. Things like that would go on for ages, even after all the lights went out in the infirmary. We could still hear Nicolas whispering things to himself and moving around at night. Even as a fellow human, I was terribly scared of him. And, as much as I'd hate to admit it, I had not visited him or seen his face even once after I'd been admitted to this room. I'd gone outside of my infirmary room plenty of times, sure, but I'd always avoided Nicolas's room. Somehow, I just couldn't face him. I felt like a coward.

It was not because I was scared he'd try to hurt me again. I knew that Garron was officially gone… Garron Lived was no longer living. But I just couldn't bear to see his face, his old face. It hurt too much. Despite how evil he was, I still liked him. He had been one of my closest friends.

What broke my heart even more was the thought of how Nicolas's face would look if I did see it. I could just picture it… the dark circles from no sleep, the bloodshot eyes, the dirty, messy hair, and the look on his face. God, his expression would kill me! He probably wouldn't even know who I was, but just the mental image of the haunted, terrified, insane look he would have in his eyes scared the crap out of me.

I wanted to help him, I wanted to help so badly, but this was something that Nicolas would have to fight through by himself. If I showed up in front of his face, he'd probably just be more confused and even more scared. I didn't want him to be scared of me… that was probably the reason.

I just wished I was released sooner, though. Being in the infirmary was doing my mental health and disposition no good.

Smiling, I remember something Kiseki had told me. He had been teasing and had exaggerated a good deal, but he meant well.

"You want to leave?" he had asked me one day, perched at the foot of my hospital bed. "If you want to be free like the rest of us, then you have to focus on getting well. Rest, eat, go to the bathroom if you have to, and hurry up and get better! It's boring outside without you."

I sighed, my head rested against my white pillow, and stared up at the hospital ceiling.

Yes, Kiseki was right. I had to rest and get better as soon as I could. All the drama about the accessories, the situation with Nicolas Cage, and the reparations of the rest of the academy… all those I would worry about later.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong>

The battle finally ended! Phew, that sure was tense, huh?

Yeah, I bet most of you thought Garron would be dead. But no, his host body's still intact xD. He's gone for good, though, so no worries. I just feel bad about the poor human that ended up feeling violated and traumatized… *sigh*

And just what do you think would happen to Ame and her situation with her angelic/demonic charms…? Haha, you'll have to read on to find out. I hope the results will be satisfying to you guys.

Anyways, thanks for reading this. It means a lot to me! :)

- ACookieZ


	52. Chapter 52

**Angel vs. Demon**

Chapter 52 – The Aftermath

Two days after I had regained consciousness, I was released from the infirmary. They had done lots of tests and checkups during the past two days to see how much energy I had, if I had been mentally affected by the battle, and to see if I was strong enough to maneuver around on my own. That kind of thing. Finally, I was given the "OK". The doctor said I was still frail and in need of plenty of rest and nourishment, but I could finally go back to living in the dorms. I didn't have to be cooped up in my room all day long.

All my other friends had recovered way before I did, so we threw a party in the Newspapers Club's staff/meeting room for this special occasion (which was the only convenient and roomy space we could access; there was no way we could fit all the people into a small dorm room). I had finally been released from the infirmary, after all, and we were all well and back together. This caused for some celebration.

"Yay!" Kurumu cried with her party hat on, blowing into a noise-maker. "Congrats on all of us finally being better! And let's celebrate Ame's release from the hospital!"

I looked around the room in shock. Kiseki had led me here, saying that there was going to be a celebration, but I had no idea it was going to be this big. At best, I had thought it was going to be something of a potluck.

Moka and the others had gone all-out! The Newspapers Club room was fully decorated; there were streamers lining the walls, balloons tapped to the back of chairs, and food and gifts piled up on the tables. Oh, the food! Forgive me for sounding like that, but my inner fat kid needed to be released. My sweet tooth was just aching at the sight of all the food.

Kurumu had baked batches and batches of different cookies, all stacked up on the giant party plates. Mizore had brought the ice-cream, popsicles, and the shaved-ice. And, since it was almost Summer, all those cold treats were more than welcome. Moka had brought the drinks and the punches… although I realized that, strangely, almost all of the juices were bright red colored.

Yukari brought the candies and the sweets; there were bowls and bowls of them. They were all monster treats that I had never tasted before, and I was eager to try them. Tsukune brought the center-piece: the elaborate, layered cake that rested in the middle of the table. Of course, there were plates, knives, and forks to go along with it. I suddenly felt extremely bad… I seemed to be the only one that didn't bring anything to contribute to this party. Although, I guess they had wanted to surprise me, but still… I felt just a twinge of guilt.

What had astonished me the most, though, was Kiseki. I didn't think he'd actually get anything for this party, because he didn't seem very excited about it, but he had – most likely – brought the most expensive thing there. It was a chocolate fondue-fountain, a machine that churned and mixed liquid chocolate. Startlingly, it reminded me of the Headmaster's Fountain of Holy Water, the way it was all set up. Except, of course, this fountain dripped chocolate fondue instead of holy water. And I was more than happy of that fact. Kiseki had even brought a plate of fruits and treats (such as marshmallows and biscuits) to dip into the chocolate! I was so ecstatic I hugged him right there on the spot.

Kiseki looked stunned; he didn't know how to respond. Under normal circumstances, I would have waited and given him a chance to say something first, but just then I was too excited; I left his side and hurried over to everyone else and all the food, laughing. I saw Kiseki shake his head, smile, and follow me.

"Cheers!" Moka exclaimed, clinking our glasses together. Everyone had, in their cups, Moka's red fruit juice (which, thankfully, didn't turn out to be blood or tomato juice). It was fruit punch, fortunately.

"To a new start," Kiseki said, drinking his juice.

"To a new beginning," Tsukune added, nodding his head. He drank his share as well.

We all mumbled in agreement and drained our cups. I barely had my mouth off of it before I heard that familiar, deep, teasing voice from the doorway.

"Ha!" the voice chortled. "Don't tell me you guys are celebrating with _fruit juice_?"

Kurumu turned towards him, eyes narrowed. "What's wrong with juice?"

"Forget juice! How about some… Gin?"

I turned around to see the werewolf standing in the doorway, leaning on the doorframe. Ah, how I missed him.

"Get it?" he asked, grinning widely. "Gin, my name, and gin, the drink? Haha I crack myself up!"

Kurumu rolled her eyes. Then, she caught sight of something behind Gin's broad frame.

"Oh!" she exclaimed in surprise. "Kenta…"

"Oh yeah," Gin said, as if only just remembering he had a kid behind him. "I saw this kid loitering around in the hallway in front of your door, so I thought I'd bring him in."

Kenta stood there at the door awkwardly, not knowing how to respond to us after his father just died. We'd all seen his emotional breakdown, so it must have been quite uncomfortable for him. Nonetheless, we welcomed him with open arms.

"Kenta," Moka said warmly, ushering him in. "Feel free to eat whatever you want! Join the party."

Kenta look astonished; he had probably expected us to bombard him with questions and fuss over him. He should know us well enough by now, though. We'd accept him no matter what. I went over to him and gave him a tight hug.

Kenta still didn't look fully happy, though; how could he? His father just recently passed away. He did have a smile on his face, however, which lifted my spirits by a lot. I heard he had been in a worse state the few days after the battle, when I had been unconscious. Thank goodness he was at least a little better now.

"Hmm, you guys really should do something about that drink table of yours." Gin said, "It's missing a little something."

He walked to our table and placed two bottles of sake down on top of it. "Ah, there we go! Now everything seems much better."

I looked quizzically at the bottle. I'd tried some alcoholic beverages before, of course, but not _sake_. I didn't even think they had it in my hometown… _Ah_, I thought in realization. _Isn't sake a traditional Japanese alcoholic beverage? And Gin is Japanese, so it makes sense for him to bring us sake instead of…_

"Hey, watch it!" Kurumu chastised, slapping Kenta's hand. He had been reaching for the bottle! I smiled in amusement.

"Just a little?" he asked, pouting. His little doggy ears flopped own sadly.

"Nope, not while I'm here," Kurumu said firmly, wagging a finger at him. This made me smile; Kurumu was so motherly sometimes. "You're underage, kid! I don't want you getting drunk and making a fool of yourself in front of everyone. Not that I care so much, really… it's just that you're Kenta. I just can't let you do anything wrong."

Kenta huffed, and slouched away to munch on the sweets instead. Yukari, being the same age as him, followed reluctantly as well, sticking her tongue out at Kurumu. The two of them sat there, moping and nibbling on cookies. Satisfied, Kurumu reached for the sake bottle popped the lid open.

"Alright, everyone! Bring your glasses up!"

Mizore was the first in line, surprisingly. She asked Kurumu to fill her glass all the way up to the rim, and she downed it all at once. My eyes widened; Mizore could really handle alcohol.

Everyone else got their share, and when my turn came, I asked Kurumu to fill it up only halfway. I never had sake before, and I wasn't sure if it suited my taste or not… or, most importantly, if my stomach could handle it.

"Oh, c'mon, Ame… loosen up!" Kurumu winked at me, then poured sake into my glass until it was practically overflowing. My eyes bugged out, and I had to quickly take a few sips before it leaked everywhere.

"Aren't you having any, Gin?" Kurumu asked, holding it out to him. "You're the one who brought it, after all…"

"I'm good, thanks," Gin replied, smiling evilly. "I don't want to get drunk just yet… I want to see something first. And I have to be sober enough to enjoy it."

Kurumu shrugged. "Whatever~" And with that, she drank straight from the bottle and finished whatever was left of it – which wasn't that much. Kurumu hardly got a drop of sake. Frowning in dissatisfaction, she pried open the other sake bottle and finished almost half of it all at once. My jaw dropped open in shock.

"Kurumu, you practically hogged it all to yourself!" Moka said, slapping her lightly on the shoulder. "We barely got any – how could you finish half of the last bottle?"

Kurumu didn't answer. Everyone was quiet for a few minutes as we finished our own drinks and pigged out on the delicious cake. Suddenly, Kurumu smiled slowly, and dropped the now-empty sake bottle down loudly on the tabletop.

Moka analyzed her for a moment, then groaned. "Oh no, please don't tell me…"

"You having fun, everyone?" Kurumu asked loudly, her words slightly slurred. "'Cause I AM!" She began laughing as she made her way unsteadily towards the cake. While almost half of it was eaten, she still didn't have any yet.

Kurumu dipped her finger into the icing of the cake and tried to lick it off, but ended up smudging it all over her face. She looked like a clown with bad makeup on.

Gin, standing across from her on the other end of the table, slapped his knee and cracked up in laugher. He kept cackling in that deep booming voice of his until he had tears in his eyes.

"Now that's what I'm talking about!" Gin declared, grinning widely in amusement. "This is the reason why I didn't want to get drunk…! I had to see this first."

I rolled my eyes. Typical Gin. Things got worse, though, when Kurumu climbed up on one of the tables and started singing (more like yelling) into an empty plastic cup. She jumped up and down, upsetting the forks and plates, and sang bad karaoke.

Suddenly, Gin whipped his camera out and started snapping photos of Kurumu.

"Hey, what the hell do you think you're doing?" Yukari demanded, smacking him on his back. "If Kurumu knows you're taking pictures of her she'll-,"

"But look at those boobs!" He cried, ignoring Yukari. "When Kurumu's drunk, she isn't afraid of swinging them around. Oh, oh, look at them now! She's jumping up and down! They're bouncing like-,"

I smacked him over the head with my empty plate, cutting him off, trying to look angry but failing miserably. I ended up laughing. This was how it was supposed to be… this was the way things were before everything got messed up. And no matter how perverted Gin was, I wouldn't have it any other way.

To say the least, the party ended up being more crazy and fun than I'd ever imagined. With the help of Moka, we managed to get Kurumu down from the table in safely into a chair, far away from Gin.

We even managed to finish most of the cake! The candies and cookies would have to be saved for later (there was just so much), but the cake was delicious. Nobody got too drunk tonight (with the exception of Kurumu, of course), and we all got to appreciate the tasty snacks.

The piece of cake I had was vanilla and chocolate, two different layers on top of each other. I got so into savoring the taste of the cake that I didn't notice Kiseki staring at me until he was practically in front of my face.

"What's wrong…?" I whispered, eyes wide. "Are you not enjoying the party?"

Suddenly, without warning, Kiseki swooped down and kissed me on the corner of my lips.

Blushing madly, I tried to look at his face but failed. My eyes dodged to his and back, glancing everywhere around him but not meeting his face.

I slapped him lightly on his chest. "What did you do that for? People could have seen us and-,"

Kiseki rolled his eyes at me. He tried to shrug it off like it was no big deal, but he was smiling. I could tell.

"You just had some icing on your face, that's all," he teased. He grinned at me, and I grinned back shyly.

It was just another typical day at Yokai Academy.

* * *

><p>Classes still continued on as usual, except for the fact that we no longer had Ms. De Mone as our teacher. Thank goodness for that. Not only was she horrible towards the students, she was also a bad teacher. Even pretending to act teacher-like didn't suit her.<p>

Truth be told, I actually had no idea what happened to Lucy after the big battle incident. I hadn't seen her fighting on campus or anything, and she wasn't with Garron when we met him in the Headmaster's garden. She must have escaped, or committed suicide (like the other female demons rumored to be heartbroken after the death of their "Master"). It gave me cold shivers just thinking about it.

I wasn't really upset that Lucy was missing, though. It wasn't like I was going to chase her down and kill her or anything… I'm sure she was already suffering enough. The Headmaster probably agreed with my thinking; he just let the loose demons be.

Other than that, things were finally back to normal. Or as normal as things can get now, anyway. Because parts of the school had been demolished during the battle, most students only had half-day classes. Freshmen and sophomores had classes during the morning (up till lunch), and juniors and seniors had classes in the afternoon (after lunch).

We didn't get free time after the half-day classes, though, no way. It was mandatory for students (as well as the teachers that were well enough) to help repair the destructed buildings and patch things up. This might sound like a lot of work, but the Headmaster had loosened up the school policies a bit and allowed students to transform into their monster forms if need be, to help with the repairing and the renovating.

This made a world of difference; winged monsters (such as Kurumu and myself) could fly up to replace the window glass high up near the ceilings without much difficulty, monsters with speed and power could clean things up and get things done a lot quicker, and junk monsters (that lived off of consuming garbage) were now free to eat whatever rubbish and trash they wanted to (that were littered on the ground, of course. No more need for sweeping them up!).

This was a good experience because it brought everyone closer together; all the monsters worked beside each other like family. Even the normally uptight, mean teachers loosened up and laughed beside the students. I guess we still shared the same goal and dream, after all… we all wanted to protect the school. And after so much struggling, it was a relief that we had accomplished it.

I guess even the Headmaster felt affected by the atmosphere; he ordered the chefs and cooks to make extra dessert. It made the entire student body very happy, to be sure.

Speaking of the Headmaster… he had finally decided what to do with Nicolas. The human's memory of the past school year had been erased, and he was placed in a mental institution in the human world, close to his home town. The Headmaster pulled some strings, used some magic, and he made it so that the doctors and nurses working at that hospital thought Nicolas was one of their patients from a long time ago. He had simply been dropped into that mental institution, and no one questioned a thing.

I was glad of this, though. Even if Nicolas might never be the same again, he was still alive. That was a good thing.

I breathed a sigh of relief.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong>

Hey guys~ Thanks for reading!

I hope you liked the way things ended after the battle; hopefully it wasn't too boring, haha.

Oh, and I have to apologize about how Kurumu got drunk. It wasn't because it was inappropriate or anything (at least, I didn't think so), it's just that I had to rush through the scenes fast to fit everything in accordingly, and that part might have seemed a bit fake and unrealistic. So just please try to understand x)

Alright, I guess I have to say the inevitable now. *Ahem-ahem*

The story is coming to a close, everyone! Yeah, I know, it seems like both a good thing and a bad thing. I'm just giving you a heads-up here :)

Read till the end, guys! We're almost there.

- ACookieZ


	53. Chapter 53

**Angel vs. Demon**

Chapter 53 – Graduation

Almost two months had passed since the big incident, and everything had basically returned to normal. The school was fully renovated, the teachers and students were closer than ever, and the injured were on the road to recovery. Apollo had somehow disappeared after visiting me in the infirmary; he was probably just off on his own, like usual, contemplating the meaning of life and wandering around doing his own business. Aside from that, everything was back to the way it was before all the drama happened.

And, of course, classes and school still continued on like usual. My friends and I were all seniors, so this meant…

"Ugh, graduation!" Kurumu groaned, flopping over on the couch in the girls' dorm. We had already finished our final exams (it was a bit hastily written and done, mostly because of the battle that had happened merely a month before), and it was almost summer vacation. The school was holding a graduation ceremony in the auditorium hall the day after tomorrow.

"Think of it as a good thing," Yukari said to Kurumu, patting her on the knee. "You'll get to leave this school, have a job, and go places."

"Those are all bad things!" Kurumu cried, laughing. "Well, except for the going places part. But I don't wanna have a job! And – I never thought I'd say this, but – I don't want to leave. Mostly because of you guys…"

"We're going to have to leave too, Kurumu," Moka replied, smiling sadly.

I had something bothering me in the back of my mind, though, that I needed to voice out loud. "Um, I don't know how it works here in the monster world, but for normal humans, we're going to have to get a job in the human world. So… does that mean that we're all going to be separated?"

I said the last sentence in a panicky voice, the thought suddenly making me nervous. I'd just met these people for a year! I didn't want to leave them just yet.

"It's kind of different here," Moka answered thoughtfully. "Some monsters choose to have jobs in the human world. But, of course, those monsters have to disguise their true forms and practice great self-control. They basically have to mingle in and pretend to be a human for the rest of their lives."

"That doesn't sound very… exciting," Kenta muttered, looking down at the ground. "I don't think I could stand doing that for my entire life…"

I had to agree. Monsters had certain urges, I knew that… and what use were your monster powers if you couldn't even use them? It'll be like a bird trapped in a cage… moving, living, but unable to fly freely.

"Then again," Moka continued, "not a lot of monsters stay in the human world. Most monsters find odd jobs to do here, in the monster world."

"What kind of jobs?" I asked curiously.

"Ah, you know, we mostly take over what our parents do. Say, if your family owned a monster restaurant, you'd inherit the place and run it and stuff. Or, if your family was rich and wealthy, you would inherit the mansion and live there. Things like that." Moka paused, and then continued. "There aren't a lot of laws here, though… monsters don't run this place like you humans do in your world. We mostly trade for what we want and hunt whenever we feel like it. It's all about power and rank, here. It's very different."

"Very," I agreed. I briefly wondered if I could live in the monster world… I probably could (and would), if my friends were with me. I definitely wouldn't be able to survive on my own, though. Sadly, I was sure of this.

I shook my head, ridding myself of these thoughts. I knew I wouldn't be able to stay in the monster world even if I wanted to (which I doubtlessly did). I had my family to consider. They needed my help… especially my parents. My siblings could be a real handful sometimes.

Besides, I had other things to worry about. Like, say, the graduation ceremony!

* * *

><p>All the students were gathered in the big auditorium room. The place had been equipped with chairs (for the students and the few parentsguardians that decided to attend), refreshments, balloons and banners, and a podium for speaking. The Headmaster had showed up, of course, but he stood in the sidelines while he ushered Ms. Nekonome up on stage to greet everyone.

"Meow, um, welcome to the graduation ceremony, everyone! Thank you all so much for coming today. I know a lot has happened, and it must be hard on many of you. So, to start us off, I'd like everyone to commemorate all the students and staff in the memorial site that will be forever be remembered for their sacrifices and bravery."

Ms. Nekonome went on like this for about ten minutes, naming all the students and teachers that had died in the battle, while the crowd mourned. Then, she finally moved on to normal graduation procedures.

"And finally, here is the Headmaster, meow, who is going to say a few words! He will be giving out the diplomas to the graduates."

The Headmaster finally stepped onstage and took the microphone from Ms. Nekonome. He tapped against it with his finger to make sure it was working properly.

"Thank you, Ms. Nekonome. And thank _you_, everyone in the audience today. What a great and eventful year this has been, for all of us."

The Headmaster was a man of few words, and he summarized the entire speech of a Headmaster/Principal in a few short sentences.

"I'm impressed," Kiseki whispered from beside me. "I wish all Headmasters were like him. Then, maybe fewer students would be falling asleep."

I giggled a little. It was true, though; a few monster graduates were snoring slightly in the back of the room. I even heard the sound of a slap (probably from some impatient parent), and the whine of a monster who had just been woken up.

From up onstage, the Headmaster was calling out graduates' names in alphabetical order by last name. He spoke a few words about them each, and handed out the diplomas. I saw Kurumu and Moka tear up and sniffle as Tsukune went up. Since his last name was "Aono", he was one of the first ones to climb on the podium and receive his diploma.

"Tsukune Aono brought many… _changes_… to the academy," the Headmaster said, smiling ambiguously as he shook hands with Tsukune. He listed off the clubs, activities, and awards Tsukune had been engaged in and received over the past few years, and ended his little dialogue with: "Tsukune is a courageous and dedicated student, both to his friends, teachers, and fellow peers. We were all pleased to have you here at Yokai Academy. May you continue to succeed and prosper in the future."

Tsukune nodded his head, shaking hands with the Headmaster again.

And so it went on like this, with each student shaking hands with the Headmaster and receiving his or her diploma. Not all the students had such positive comments made about them, mind. Some were barely able to graduate, with their unsatisfactory grades and behavior… a few even had to stay back a grade.

Moka, Kurumu, Mizore, Kiseki, Kenta, and Yukari all had good comments made about them, though.

Moka was – according to the Headmaster – an extremely "intelligent" and "charismatic" student, who excelled in almost all her courses. Kurumu was "enthusiastic", and won the "Culinary Student of the Year Award". Mizore always tried her best, and Kiseki was a "witty" and "knowledgeable" student. Yukari received the most praise, though… she had gotten a scholarship to some university for witches, I heard. She was really brilliant and smart; I felt so incredibly proud of her.

As for myself, the Headmaster – in his words – had said that: "Although she stayed with us for only a year, Ame has proved to be kind and caring towards her fellow classmates and teachers. She brought a lot of excitement to this school," – here the Headmaster smiled at me knowingly – "and I hope she will continue down the right path. Keep the scale in balance, Ame."

I had almost rolled my eyes at his last sentence, but I smiled nonetheless. Shaking his hand, I received my diploma and headed off stage to sit in my spot again.

Student after student went up to get their diploma. I hadn't noticed how many students we had here at Yokai Academy until just that moment. It brought back many memories, just watching these people go up one by one. I wasn't close with every single student, granted, but I still remembered the fun times we had together in classes. Some faces I would never forget.

Finally, after an eternity of waiting (there seemed to be millions of graduating students at Yokai Academy; the ceremony was finished. Everyone tossed their hats up into the air, and began laughing and yelling in relief an happiness. Most students left with their parents right away after this, but many also stayed behind to sample the refreshments and talk with the Headmaster. He was wandering in the crowd of people heading each in their own, different directions… and I saw him speak with many of the parents, guardians, and students near the food tables.

Moka and the others were hugging their friends and classmates and saying tearful goodbyes to everyone. I was going to join them, but I had to quickly go to the washroom.

I planted myself behind Kurumu's back and tapped her lightly on the shoulder.

"Kurumu, I-,"

"What…?" she said, turning around to face me.

I almost had a heart-attack. Kurumu's eyes were red and teary, her nose was stuffy (I guessed that Kurumu had wiped it so often that it looked like a tomato), and she had shining, tear-stained cheeks. I'd never seen her like this before, and it shocked me – though not in a bad way. It was hilarious, the way Kurumu looked. If she wasn't feeling so sad, I would've laughed.

"I'm, um, going to the washroom," I answered, stifling my laughter with my hand. "I'll be right back, okay? Can you guys wait for me before leaving?"

"Yes," Kurumu sobbed, looking like someone died. "Go… just go…"

I patted her on the arm in condolence before turning around and heading to the girls' washroom. I had to weave in and out of the crowd to get there; I bumped into plenty of grumpy parents and guardians on the way.

The washroom was down the hallway to the left. I was just turning left around the corner to get to the washroom… when I bumped into someone I never expected to see again in my entire life.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong>

Hello again :)

Sorry this chapter was kinda short… I had to save the rest for the next chapter.

Anyways, I hope you liked their graduation! I know it's nothing like a real graduation, but hey, they're monsters… they can bend the rules and change things up a little ;)

Alright, everyone, so read on to the next chapter to see who this mysterious new arrival is…!

- ACookieZ


	54. Chapter 54

**Angel vs. Demon**

Chapter 54 - Freed

"Ame!" the woman with the tinkling, soprano voice greeted me, giving me a big smile.

"Aaah!" I gasped, jumping back a few meters. I almost didn't recognize who the woman in front of me was…

I couldn't believe it; right in front of my eyes was Maria, the angel that had shown itself to me the week before school started. I hadn't seen her at all since then! I'd almost forgotten her face. And now here she was, appearing before me once again just as I was about to go do my business.

"Ame, how are you?" Maria asks in a sincere tone, grasping both of my hands in between hers.

She was dressed differently from before, if I remembered correctly. She was in more regular clothing this time, probably not to attract too much attention to herself. She had on a white pair of tights, strapped sandals, and a long, flowing sequenced top. Her hair was still brown and curly, but it was secured at the base of her neck in a ponytail. She carried a messenger-style bag over her shoulders. For a second, I wondered where her wings and halo had gone (I couldn't see them), but – after squinting close around her – I saw the faint glowing outlines of the two things. She had somehow made them appear less noticeable.

"I'm… fine," I replied, still not wrapping my head around her sudden appearance. I honestly didn't know how to act around her… I didn't know what she wanted, or why she was here. With a start, I suddenly remembered how Apollo once said that angels only appeared at their own convenience; they could disappear on you for ages, then suddenly appear the next moment like it was no big deal. I smiled slightly at that. Apollo sort of had a point there.

"I hope you're feeling comfortable with the accessories, dear," Maria said, smiling and showing her gleaming white teeth at me. "I couldn't help but notice how you're also wearing the demon charms, though, Ame…"

"Ah, about that…" I swallowed nervously before I began explaining. Was Maria going to be mad at me about this…? "After you left, there was this demon called-,"

Maria put her index finger to her lips in a "shushing" motion. "Don't worry, dear, I know."

I was confused. "You know?"

"Of course I know. I've been watching you all this time… I know all the hardships you've gone through, and what powers these accessories had brought you. I sincerely regret the fact that the demon had gotten a hold of you… But, dear, those things are all behind us now, right?" Maria smiled at me, and I felt compelled to smile back.

"Well, I know that you're missing half of your angelic accessories… so I brought you another set!" Maria suddenly let go of my hand and rummaged through the bag she had with her. Her hands came out with yet another pair of angel bracelets and angel earrings. "Look, Ame, now you can take those demon accessories off! Isn't that great? You won't have to suffer from them anymore…!"

"I-I…" I didn't know what to say. I had to admit I wasn't completely grateful about this; I didn't know if I wanted to wear another pair. Apollo had said before that they were going to destroy me sooner or later… Yet Maria had come all this way to bring them to me, and it would be too rude to refuse. And refuse an angel, at that! Wouldn't I go to Hell if I rejected Maria…?

Suddenly, a foreboding, powerful aura rounded the corner and bumped into me.

"I thought I sensed an angel around here," the voice growled.

I spun around to see Apollo standing behind me. He had this look of pure hatred and fury on his normally composed face. It was terrifying… he looked like he was going to rip Maria to shreads.

"Hello, harbinger," Maria calmly greeted him. She clearly felt the hostile aura rolling off of him in waves, yet she kept her head calm and cool. I got to hand it to her; she knew how to deal with powerful monsters.

"You've got some nerve showing up here, _angel_." Apollo spit that word out like it was poison. "Huh, so you've decided to resurface now after thousands of years? Have you come to repair the damage you've helped cause all those years ago? Or – like the supposedly 'kind', 'benevolent' creatures you call yourselves – did you plan to come take more from me, from the other monsters and humans here?"

Maria closed her eyes warily, as if dealing with an uncooperative and stubborn child. "Please listen, harbinger-,"

"_You_ listen, angel," Apollo snapped. "You and I both know the truth. You're here not to give, but to take. In reality, you're all no better than the demons! At least demons are straight-forward with their intent; they're candid and have got nothing to hide. _You_, on the other hand, hide behind a mask of justice and kindness… when you're all nothing but egotistic, lying wrenches! You'd better drop that façade of yours right now, angel. Ame knows of your intent; I've told her everything already."

"Are you done condemning and accusing me now?" Maria asked, looking up at his face. "You've let bitterness and anger take over your heart, and I can do nothing to change it. I can do nothing to help you. Ame over here, however, can be helped. I don't see how my coming here and assisting her affects you. This has nothing to do with you, harbinger, and I suggest you leave us in peace. We angels have done no immoral deed to make you criticize us in this way. All the things you have said… they are purely your own opinions and judgment."

"Really?" Apollo asked incredulously. "You've abandoned us – monsters, harbingers, humans alike – and you've shown no remorse, not even a trace of regret. Thousands of years ago, you sat back and watched as my race tore itself apart due to a simple misunderstanding. And now, you've abandoned humanity as well. You got us to do your dirty work for you; you made us protect them from those demons. And now that I'm the last of my kind, you're just going to ignore all this? You're going to overlook everything?"

"What happened in the past stays in the past," the angel replied. "We cannot do anything about it now. It is useless of you to hang on to these-,"

"You hypocrites!" Apollo shouted, eyes wide in fury. "You only choose to ignore things that aren't to your advantage. You claim you've done no wrong, but you have definitely done no right either. You use us all like pawns and puppets… Don't try to lie your way out of this, angel. I know who you are and what you're after."

Maria's face relaxed into an expression of sympathy. "I'm sorry you feel this way, harbinger. I'm sure it has seemed that way to you – we know of your past and what you had to suffer through. But…"

"We couldn't interfere," she whispered. "The things that happened had to happen. I know that might sound like an excuse to you, but it's true. It might be what humans call 'fate' or 'destiny'. Speaking of humans… we did not ignore humanity, Apollo. We created you harbingers for the purpose of protecting them, you were correct, but we did not use you. Everything – every single being – has a purpose here in this world. There was a reason why you didn't die back then, Apollo. Although you took many lives, you've also saved many lives in the past. We don't regret you living, Apollo, and I hope you don't either."

Apollo looked surprised that Maria knew about the things he'd one in the past. He probably thought angels had just broke off all connection with him and the rest of us living on Earth; he didn't assume that they were still watching over us.

"I understand why you would think we abandoned your race, but to tell you the truth, it goes all the way back… Angels and demons – good and evil – have been fighting since before anyone can even remember. To gain the upper hand and stop evil from spreading, I guess we had no choice but to 'use our pawns', as you put it. Although saying that is quite harsh… it's actually not how you would think, Apollo. Everything we've been doing was for the greater good."

"Excuses!" Apollo spat angrily. "They all say that… working for the 'greater good', hah! Don't kid me."

"I'm not kidding you," Maria replied. Her eyes softened. "Don't be bitter, dear. I know what happened with your beloved Claudia, and-,"

"You know nothing!" Apollo hissed, his face contorted in pain. He looked like he was going to break down any minute. "All those pain I had to endure after her death… you guys didn't do a thing. Despicable creatures."

Maria suddenly became annoyed. "You think we're unfair, harbinger? Just because we didn't help you, it makes us despicable? No; you don't know how hard it is for us. Why don't you stop and consider our side of the situation for a minute? We had to sit back and watch others suffer, too. Not only you."

Apollo looked taken aback. Maria didn't pause for a second and continued: "There are tons of other creatures – humans, monsters – that are suffering as we speak. We cannot help all of them. They have a destined path awaiting them, and we cannot interfere with it. It's cruel sometimes, I understand, but the outcome will be worse if we step in and actually do something. That's what the demons have been doing since long ago; they've been meddling in the business of humans and monsters. That's why so many horrible things have happened!"

Maria closed her eyes and shuddered at some bad memory. Sighing heavily, she continued to speak: "We cannot do the same, Apollo; we're the ones preventing it from happening. If we angels stick our noses into everything, then it will give the demons the go-ahead to strike, and things will become even worse. Demons do not have any discipline, we so have to do everything on our end to make it right. We cannot meddle in the affairs of others and risk the lives of millions, do you understand? This is what I mean by the greater good. Not for _our_ greater good… but the greater good of _others_."

Apollo was silent. I could tell he still thought this was all a big excuse to cover up the indecent acts of the angels, but Apollo began to see the sense in Maria's reasoning.

"But you know, I have to apologize on my part." Maria smiled slightly, glancing at me. "This harbinger has a point. Ame, I suppose he's told you all about the drawbacks of the accessories, eh?"

I couldn't speak properly; my eyes were wide and my mouth was glued shut. I quickly nodded my head. This was all too much to take in.

Maria sadly looked down at the angelic accessories she had in her hands (which I still didn't take). Her long lashes made shadows on her cheeks.

"I'll be honest with you," she said gently. "We angels have given these charms to humans no more than a dozen times or so, in all of history. The only reason we allow your kind to wear it is because we feel it is needed to maintain the delicate balance. Specific humans only receive it under certain times and conditions, when evil threaten to strike. I suppose Apollo is right… in some ways, we did use you. But not to our advantage, mind! We used certain people for the good of the rest of the population. I'm sorry if these charms have caused you grief over the past year, Ame. I guess it was wrong of us to have given them to you."

I shook my head quickly. "No, Maria. Without them, I wouldn't have met all of my friends here… and I wouldn't have been able to help the cause at all."

Maria looked at me, smiling in relief. "I guess you understand, Ame. Thank you; you're very mature for your age. I hope you don't mind me saying the truth. You having powers and being able to help others… that was our plan all along. I hope it isn't as selfish and egotistic as Apollo makes it out to be."

"Not at all," I replied, smiling at her. I was just glad she finally told me the truth. However… "Um, Maria, would you say that the threat of evil is over now?"

"I suppose. Evil will always be here, technically speaking, but yes, you and your friends have managed to repress it for a while."

"So… there is no need for these accessories anymore, right?" I asked hopefully, heart pounding in anticipation. I was nervous about what Maria would say. I knew that keeping the charms or not was my own decision, but I couldn't help but wish for the approval of Maria. I had to let her know my decision, after all.

From behind me, Apollo put a steady, firm hand on my shoulder. I turned around to see a pleased expression on his face; he was satisfied with the way this conversation was going, I could tell. I supposed he was proud of me for asking to get rid of the "good-for-nothing" charms.

"You want to take them off, don't you?" Maria asked me gently, her eyes squinting a little bit. I felt nervous for a moment, until I realized that angels couldn't harbor anger or resentment; Maria simply looked a bit hurt.

I cautiously nodded my head. "Please… if it's true that it will turn me insane, then I don't think I should wear them anymore. But if it has no drawbacks, then I guess I'll keep them…"

Maria sighed. "Then I guess I should take them off for you. These charms are too powerful, I must admit… We haven't perfected them enough. But, to be honest, I'm kind of unsure about this."

"Why is that?" Apollo inquired. He had calmed down a bit, but his voice still had a cutting edge to it.

"See, the humans who accepted the accessories before never asked to take them off," Maria explained, frowning. "It was their own choice, of course, and they wanted the power. Some of them ended up losing their minds, but some of them fought it and learned to live with the power. Since we've never taken our gifts back before, I don't know what will happen if I take these charms off of Ame."

Apollo sneered. "You don't know? So you're just going to leave her here to suffer?"

"No such thing," Maria huffed. She adapted a determined look on her face. "Fine, let's remove it then. I doubt it's going to do any serious damage to her… Well, let's consider the possibilities. Ame will either return back to the way she was – a normal human – or she will remain the way she is now."

"What do you mean?" I asked, not understanding. If I remain the way I am now… then what difference did it make?

"What I mean by 'remaining the way you are now' is you will stay the same as is. You will still have your powers, but they won't progress, change, or get worse. See, the whole point of the charms and bracelet is to fortify your powers; as long as you don't take them off, they will steadily get stronger… till it gets to a point where it consumes you. That is how you will turn insane. It's not because of some evil spirit taking over your body or anything, it's definitely not like that. However, the powers might just be as dangerous."

I gulped. This was all starting to sound very scary.

"There could also be another drawback," Maria voiced out loud, pondering. "Your body might not be used to having the charms removed, and you might fall ill. Those are the three main types of scenarios."

Apollo cut in. "Whatever those scenarios might be, it will still be better than being consumed by your own power, and falling prey to the angels."

Maria sighed tiredly. "So, Ame, what will it be?"

I began breathing heavily. My heart race sped up, and I clenched my fist to make it stop shaking.

"I… I want to have it removed…" I whispered, my voice barely audible.

Maria nodded at my decision, but Apollo wasn't satisfied.

"What was that, Ame?" he asked mockingly, putting his ear closer to my face. "Say it again, will you? I couldn't hear anything."

My lips quivered, and Maria came to my defense. "Stop teasing the poor child, Apollo!"

Apollo shook his head and continued to speak to me. "If you want something, Ame, you have to mean it, or else you'll regret it later on. Trust me, I made the same mistake."

I took a deep breath, then said in a loud and sure tone: "I want to have the accessories removed!"

"That's better," Apollo said approvingly, looking satisfied.

Maria slipped the extra charms back into her bag, and put her empty hands over mine. She had her eyes closed in concentration, and began murmuring under her breath. As she did, the bracelets on both of my hands glowed brightly. The left bracelet gave off a slight reddish hue, while the right one glowed a bright blue. I felt mesmerized; I couldn't take my eyes off of them.

That is, until it started to burn.

As Maria began reciting, and as the light glowed brighter, the bracelets began to heat up. It got hotter and hotter on my wrists, until my skin felt like it was going to melt right off. I was close to crying out when the beads on both of the bracelets exploded.

One by one, each bead popped and disappeared into thin air. Maria saw this; she began murmuring her words even faster. The beads continued to combust around my wrist, until there was nothing left except for the angelic dove charm and the demonic bat charm. The two charms fell off of my wrist (having nothing attached to them), and Maria's hand slid down to catch them.

"Halfway done," Maria announced, looking slightly out of breath. While she was putting the two charms into her bag, I held my wrist up to my face to examine it. There was no burn mark – that was for sure. After the charms fell off, though, my skin didn't even hurt anymore. It was like the bracelets had never been there.

"Okay, let's move on to the next pair," Maria said, placing her hands on either side of my head. Her fingers covered my earrings, she began to chant under her breath again. I clenched my fists tight and prepared for the burning sensation to come.

And come it did. This time, it hurt more because my ears were more sensitive than my wrists; it felt like excruciating pain. I whimpered a little, and then bit down on my bottom lip hard to stop myself from making any more noises. I had to allow Maria to focus, after all.

The angel kept on muttering until my earlobes felt like they were going to melt right off. Just when I thought I would never be able to touch my ears again, I heard two distinct popping noises. Not coming from my eardrums, though, no. The popping noises were made by the earrings. They had finally burst!

Maria opened her eyes just as the demonic and angelic charm from my earrings dropped down into her hand. She caught them in her palm, then put them into her bag like she did with the other charms.

"There, we're done," Maria announced, smiling at me. "You're free now, Ame."

I must have had a dazed expression on my face, because Maria bent down towards me and asked, "What's wrong? How are you feeling…?"

I shook my head a little. "I'm relieved, I guess. But I don't feel any different… that's the problem." I frowned a little.

Maria smiled in relief. "That's a good sign, probably. It means that you're coping without the charms, at least. So the third drawback probably won't apply to you; you won't fall ill without these charms."

"That means Ame will either return back to her normal, human state… or still have her powers, correct?" Apollo said, just for clarification.

"Yes, that's right," Maria answered.

I suddenly couldn't stop myself from grinning ear-to-ear. "Thank you, Maria! And thank you, Apollo."

I rushed forward and squeezed the angel in a tight hug. Apollo might have harbored negative feelings towards her, but I felt grateful. Without Maria, I would go crazy – literally. Maria patted my back affectionately and planted a kiss – an angel's kiss – gently on my forehead.

I turned around to give Apollo a hug, too. I felt him stiffen in shock, much to my amusement. He had his arms hovered around me, unsure of what to do.

"Thank you both so much! I don't know how I'd ever repay you. I'm just… I just feel so free right now." I laughed, my voice clear and joyful.

Maria smiled. "That's wonderful, child. I'm so happy for you! I promise I will talk to my superiors about this… I'll try to get them to stop producing these charms, so no more humans get hurt. Or, if they're unwilling to agree, then I'd at least request them to enhance these charms." Maria looked at Apollo. "This is the least I can do now."

Apollo stiffened his jaw, but nodded once. "I will spare your life today, angel… only because you spared the life of another. Trust me, if you did not rid Ame of those shackles just now, I would have killed you… no doubt about it."

"I don't doubt you, harbinger," Maria replied honestly.

"Keep in mind that I live forever," Apollo added, staring meaningfully at Maria, "so if you or your kind makes any more of these 'mistakes', I will be there to see them. I won't forgive you a second time. Next time anything like this happens – whether you disregard another species, use other humans as your guinea-pigs, or refuse to help in the middle of a crisis – I will not be so forgiving. Of course, this doesn't apply only to your kind… I will look out for the demons, too. I will fight for what is right." A half-grin suddenly spread across Apollo's face, and he glanced down at me. "To fight for what is right… this is what Tsukune and his friends have taught me."

I smiled. It seemed like the hatred in Apollo's heart had lessened a bit; his wounded spirit was slowly healing. Although I knew that it would never be fully mended (unless his dead lover Claudia was miraculously alive again), Apollo seemed to be in much better spirits than when I had first seen him. I felt the happiness bloom in my heart as one more dilemma was solved.

Suddenly, I was urgently reminded of something. My body was telling me to –

"Um, guys, this was all very nice and everything," I said in a rush, trying not to hop from foot to foot, "but I… I really gotta pee."

Apollo threw back his head in laughter, and even Maria giggled daintily. They found my bursting bladder funny, how sweet of them.

"Go," Maria said, smiling at me. "And I will leave as well. It has been a pleasure meeting you again, dear."

Apollo cleared his throat. "I shall take my leave as well, then. I've already visited the school for the senior's graduation… and now that things have finally settled down, I've got no reason to stay."

I nodded in understanding. Apollo was a nomad; he was a wandering man. I doubted anything could keep him in one place for long enough.

Giving them both one more hug, I sped off to the ladies' room.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong>

Hello guys! Thanks for reading this chapter :D

I hope this one satisfied you! I mean, I'm sure there are more exciting ways to get the charms off of Ame, but I liked this scenario; it has the "grand-finale" feel to it, don't you think? :3

Anyways, please stick around to the end! We're almost there – so close…! x)

- ACookieZ


	55. Chapter 55

**Angel vs. Demon**

Chapter 55 – Back Home

A few weeks had passed since my graduation day. After the ceremony, I immediately began packing my bags for home. My parents couldn't attend my graduation ceremony, and they wanted to hear from me as soon as possible. I was supposed to be on the bus and back home by the end of that day.

My other friends were visiting their families as well. I had thought Kurumu was scary-looking at the end of the graduation ceremony… well, that was nothing compared to what she looked like when she said her tearful goodbyes to us. She was practically bawling, the way she sobbed! Moka and I took turns comforting her and giving her hugs. Kurumu, in turn, gave us her famous suffocating chest-hugs. She gripped all of us tight and wouldn't let go.

We had all exchanged addresses and telephone numbers, though, and promised to stay in contact with each other. Obviously we were going to meet again, but we just had to visit family first. It was a relief knowing we'd see each other again.

One thing I'd wondered about all this time, though, was how it was possible to visit each other if we were in different dimensions. Tsukune and I lived in the human world; I didn't know about the rest of them, but I was sure they lived in different areas as well. It wasn't like I could fly over in a plane or ride over in a bus to meet them or anything.

I had asked Moka about this as we were exchanging addresses.

"Oh, I forgot to tell you about this, huh?" she said, smiling sheepishly. "Sorry about that. Well, it's actually not as difficult as you might think… Just like how the bus driver entered the tunnel portal to get from the human world to Yokai Academy, there are also many different portals in the human world. You could enter through one of that to get to our houses." Moka thought for a moment, then picked up her pen again. "Here, let me write down a couple of addresses for the portals. This way, it'll be easy for you to find them. You can just drive a car or ride a bike or something through the portals and get to our place. After you enter the monster world again, it'll just be finding our home addresses from there… just like you would do in the human world. It won't be too difficult, I'm sure."

I thanked Moka, and wrote my address and phone number down for her in exchange. We did this for about five minutes, and afterwards, we each had the contact information of everyone else.

"Call me," Kurumu sniffled, suffocating me in another one of her hugs. "I'm going to miss you so much…"

For once, I didn't complain about the lack of oxygen from Kurumu's embrace. Instead, I hugged her back tightly. "I'm going to miss you too, Kurumu. A lot. I promise I'll call often… I'll visit if I can…"

Suddenly, as if remembering something, Kurumu dropped me out of her arms like a hot potato. Tears filled her eyes again, and she turned around and lunged at Tsukune.

"Tsukune, oh Tsukune," she sobbed, crushing his head into her chest. "You better call me too! No, forget that… I'll come visit you…! Every day. Every single day…"

"H-How about I visit you instead…?" Tsukune managed to choke out. "You know, to prevent another catastrophe from happening again…"

And on and on it went. We procrastinated and stalled, simply just sticking near each other, until we physically couldn't anymore. We all had to get back home on time, and the bus had come to take us there.

"Stop lookin' so down!" the bus driver said, puffing on his cigar. "It's not like you're never going see each other again, is it? You've survived for this long already… you're all probably going to meet each other again."

I nodded at him, drying my eyes on the sleeve of my school uniform. I hadn't bothered to take it off yet. I wanted the memories of Yokai Academy to stay with me for as long as possible.

Sitting in the bus seats with Kiseki by my side, I watched as we rolled away from the school… Yokai Academy grew smaller and smaller into the distance.

* * *

><p>So now here I was, back home, lying in my own bed. It felt strangely nostalgic… I almost expected to see Maria or Lucy pop up in my room again. I laughed at how silly I was. Now that everything was over and my charms were gone, there was no way they'd show up again. Not without a very good reason.<p>

Wondering about those two, though, led me to think about my powers… and how things ended up after Maria removed those accessories from me. I'm happy to say that I did not die yet, nor suffer from any illness due to being unable to adapt without the powerful charms.

I did, however, feel a bit empty inside. This might sound absolutely crazy, but I kind of missed my two consciences battling inside my head. It wasn't because I craved the company of other beings inside of my brain (that would just be messed up), but now that I had no clear voice telling me what I should and shouldn't do, I often wonder if I'm doing the right thing. I had my morals, of course; I knew what was right and what was wrong. But it made me feel less guilty doing the wrong things now, after the angelic voice was gone. I felt like I had returned to being _normal_, and – after having lived in the monster world for so long – it felt unusual, to say the least.

One thing that _wasn't_ normal about me, though, was that I still possessed some of my powers. Maria had been right in her predictions. She said that I'd either return to being a typical average human girl, or I'd still have some of my angelic and demonic powers. I might sound selfish and egoistic, but I was glad that I still possessed some of my powers… it made me feel that much more connected to the monster world. All my adventures at Yokai Academy with my monster friends seemed like a dream, now, and I tried anything to cling on to the few remaining connections I had. My powers were one of those connections.

I was still different from before, though, and although my powers stayed relatively the same, there were still certain things I couldn't do anymore.

Take transforming into my true angel-demon form, for instance. Now that the charms were gone, it was exceedingly difficult for me to sprout any types of wings whatsoever… not my fluffy, white, feathery angel wings, or my leathery, bat-like demon wings. I tried, believe me, but it ended up physically hurting my shoulders and body so much that I just gave up on it. It felt like I was trying to push knives through my flesh! The best I could manage was popping a few white feathers out of my back, but that was about it. No more horns, no more halos, no more tails… all of that were gone.

My non-physical powers still remained, though! I could still forge barriers and protective shields, and my flaming ball of fire was still within me. I had way more control over them, now that the charms had been removed… I didn't feel like a monster anymore, though. More like a human magician of some sort…

I sighed. As wrong as it may seem, I wished for my old life back. I wanted to be at school again with the rest of my friends, having fun and watching each other's backs. Even though I had my powers now, there was nothing I could do with them here in the human world. There was nobody else here that could –

With a start, I realized something extremely significant. What I missed and craved weren't my powers, or even my wings and horns. What I craved was the company of my fellow monsters, and – most importantly – the mysterious, alluring world of monsters. Now that I'd experienced a taste of it, I wanted to live it; I actually wanted to return back to the monster world.

A sinking feeling developed in the pit of my stomach. I felt like a traitor to humankind; I felt like I had betrayed my human friends and family here in the human world. I was so despicable…

As if to make me feel even worse, I heard my mother's voice calling me from downstairs. "Ame, honey, come down and eat dinner. The food's ready!"

"Okay."

Heaving a heavy sigh, I forced myself out of bed. It was the same old bed, the same old room, and the same old house… not to mention the same old people. I wasn't looking forward to living the rest of my life here, anymore. I realized this fact with despair. I knew I could never live in the same way again.

"Hey, Mom," I said as I sat down in one of the chairs around the dinner table. She smiled at me and placed a plate of food down in front of me.

"Mm, pasta!" my little brother crowed, waving his fork enthusiastically in the air. "I love pasta~"

"It's spaghetti," my little sister corrected, sounding like a displeased teacher. She was only a few years older than him, though. "And you have to twirl your fork around in it like this, see? It picks up all the spaghetti noodles! Right, Ame?"

I smiled at them affectionately, but didn't joke around with them like I used to – like I would have. My little brother huffed at me, putting down his fork noisily.

"You're no fun no more, Ame," he said, looking grumpy. "I want the old Ame back!"

My eyes stun with sudden tears, and I felt that familiar, uncomfortable lump in my throat. _They would never have their old sister back,_ I thought sadly, blinking my tears back. _Do they know how much I've been through? Do they know that I no longer feel the same about anything anymore…?_

How I wished I could tell them! It would be so relieving, so freeing, to simply spill everything to my family. But I know I couldn't, and I wouldn't. To my siblings, my story would just all seem like one giant, made-up fairytale… I could just picture the scene right now.

"Haha, did the big bat-girl bite anyone?" my little sister would ask. She'd use two of her fingers to fake fangs in her mouth. "Did she turn anyone into a vampire?"

"There's already a vampire in the story, isn't there, Ame?" my little brother would say haughtily. He would glow at the chance to correct his sister for once. Then, the two siblings would argue with each other, and my tale would immediately be forgotten.

I smiled sadly down at my plate of uneaten food.

My dad, who was busy digging in no his own portion, suddenly sighed and put down his fork.

"Ame, honey, look at me for second," he said. He peered at my face when I raised my head. "See, your mom and I are worried about you… we know something's different after you came back from that school of yours. It's already been three weeks! You're uninterested in doing anything anymore, and you keep moping around the house. You've changed, Ame…"

I flinched. I knew what he was going to say… I had expected this talk since after the first week, when my parents started giving me weird stares and worried glances. I had tried to ignore them and continue on with my life (as best as I could, anyway), but I knew this topic would come up sooner or later.

My dad probably saw the expression on my face. He put his hands up in surrender, as if to say that he wasn't going to force a conversation out of me about this.

"So you've changed, Ame. But it doesn't seem to be a bad change! Your mother and I get the feeling that you're just missing your friends and your school… isn't that right?"

My eyes widened in surprise. He had probably realized this even before I had.

"Yes, we know," my mom said, joining us at the dinner table. "You always have that faraway look in your eyes, like you're somewhere else."

I huffed a little and turned my face away. So I hadn't been fooling either of them… that sure sucked.

"Listen," my dad continued, "we're glad that you came to stay with us and everything, but if you're not happy, then I don't see the point."

"But you're my parents," I said, flabbergasted.

"And that's exactly why I don't want you to feel obligated to stay here for us!" my dad said. He smiled at me, folding his hands together. "Look, Ame, you're eighteen now. We don't want you staying here with us till you're old, you know? And we know you feel obligated to stay behind and look after your brother and sister, but we've managed pretty well without you here, haven't we?"

I didn't know what to say. Did they want me to leave, or are they giving me the freedom to choose…? To choose between what, though, that was the question.

"I hear that the school you went to is big and luxurious," my mother gushed, "and that the area is pretty wealthy. This means, you'd have no trouble at all finding a fitting job around there!"

"What?" I cried incredulously, almost jumping out of my seat. Just what did my parents want me to do? Did they even know they were talking about a whole other dimension, here? If they knew that the world – the "area" – that they were talking about was full of monsters and demons, I doubted they'd be acting so excited now.

"You're mom and I have discussed this for a while," my dad explained, smiling sheepishly, "and we think that it's okay for you to find a job elsewhere. Say, maybe near that school of yours? Or near your friends' places. You need to be close to them and stay safe, after all…"

I almost choked on my spaghetti. "Hold on, Dad, you're saying I can leave to go… to a different place… now? I don't have to stay close to you guys in our world – I mean, our city or anything? I can find a job elsewhere, far, far away?"

"Sure," my mom said, "if that's what you want. We don't want you to feel burdened by us, dear."

I chewed my lip. How was I going to explain to them that it wasn't as easy as they thought, going to the monster world to live?

"So, if I moved to a totally different… _country_, you guys wouldn't mind?"

"As long as you contact us often and visit sometimes," my dad replied.

"What if I got eaten over there? Sorry, I mean, what if I couldn't be able to survive?"

"You can always come back to us if things don't work out," my dad answered. "You know, we actually don't mind if you rent a place with a friend or something. More room here for us, then!" He laughed, trying to joke about this.

I blew a puff of air out noisily. "Well… I hope you don't regret this."

My parents shook their heads in understanding. "As long as you won't regret your decisions; no need to worry about us. You need to start thinking for yourself sometimes, Ame. Especially right now."

With a jolt, I realized that Kiseki had once told me something along the similar lines as that. I could hardly remember him saying that, though… everything about the monster world seemed so distant to me nowadays. Taking a deep breath, I composed myself and gathered up my thoughts. They were right; both my parents and Kiseki were right. I had to think for myself now.

I rushed out of my seat in a hurry, almost turning over my unfinished plate of food. Racing over to my parents, I gave them each a swift kiss on the cheek. I then quickly knelt down and hugged my brother and sister tightly.

"Ow, you're hurting me," my little brother whined, wiggling around in my arms. I smiled; sometimes he reminded me of Kenta. I'd be able to see him soon, having already made my decision. Happiness and excitement bloomed in my chest at the sudden thought of seeing my friends again…

"I love you guys," I said to my family as I ran up the stairs to my room.

I had to quickly pack up my bags and contact my friends, after all. I was going to the monster world!

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong>

Hey, thanks for reading~ I hope you enjoyed this chapter :)

Yeah, tearful goodbyes are always so sad, huh? *sob-sob* If I went to Yokai Academy, I swear nothing could drag me away. Hahaha…

Well, stick around for the next chapter! We're nearing the end, everyone…!

P.S. Make sure to read the Author's Notes at the end of the next few chapters, okay? It's alright if you've been ignoring them up till now, but there's something important you all need to know in the A/N of the next chapter x)

- ACookieZ


	56. Chapter 56

**Angel vs. Demon**

Chapter 56 – The End?

I sat in the back of the bus, staring out the window. It was a misty day outside today; clouds were thick overhead. It probably wasn't a good day to be leaving to the monster world, but I couldn't wait another minute! After the talk with my parents at dinner yesterday night, I had my bags all packed and ready, and I left the very next morning.

Don't get me wrong, though. I wasn't happy to be leaving my family; I definitely felt no ungratefulness towards them. To be honest, I even shed a few tears that night, thinking about my little siblings with no older sister to bother and my busy parents with no elder daughter to help them. It felt like I was leaving for Yokai Academy all over again, feeling terrified and alone.

But the thing was, I knew that my parents would be safe and sound where they were, back in the human world. My entire family rested in the back of my mind and heart like a preserved photograph, all safe and perfect. My Yokai friends, on the other hand… I didn't know when I'd see them again. I didn't know what would happen if I lost touch with them. I just felt like I had to reach out to them and keep them securely around me, as all of our fates were so uncertain and ambiguous. A monster's future isn't as stable and promising like a human's… this is why I had to find my friends again. If I didn't, it felt like I might lose them.

My hands went cold and clammy at the thought of traveling to the monster realm all by myself… I felt so silly, so nervous. I had the address that Moka gave me, and I'd researched ahead of time to find out the safest and easiest way to get there to the portal, but I still didn't know what awaited me. It was one thing riding through that multi-colored tunnel in a bus; it was a whole other thing going in there by yourself on foot.

Even after I get through the portal, though, who's to say that I'll find Moka's address easily? From what I could tell, all of my friends lived in completely different areas in the monster world. Well, almost all of them…

Moka, Kokoa, Kiseki, Kenta, and their father all lived in the same mansion, so I was heading there first. Since Kenta had nowhere to go, Moka had insisted for him to stay with them. I heard their mansion was huge, so it was probably no trouble for Kenta to live there. And no trouble for me as well, I hoped. It might seem very rude and rash of me to ask to room there with them, but I had contacted them beforehand to let them know I was coming, and they had agreed to let me stay with them. Moka was very cordial about me staying with them, and Kiseki was all for it.

They had even agreed to take us to visit Mizore, Kurumu, and Yukari's places afterwards, and all of us could meet up together again. They had been to Mizore's village before, they told me, and I heard it was very fun. Granted, it was cold and freezing, but it was still probably enjoyable. I felt excited just thinking about it; I couldn't wait to visit my friends.

"Alright, Miss, here's our last stop," the human bus driver announced, looking at me over his shoulder. "You're the last passenger here in this bus, young lady. I suggest you get off at this stop, or wait for another bus. I'm going off-duty soon."

I looked at the bus driver, all startled. I almost laughed at myself; I had half-expected the bus driver from the monster world to speak to me, with the cap pulled down over his head and the cigar hanging out of his mouth. I shook my head, smiling.

"Yes, thank you very much, sir," I said, dragging my giant suitcase down the aisle of the bus. "This is my stop, so I'll be getting off now…"

"Have a nice day," the bus driver said to me, waving as the doors closed. "And be careful, young lady."

"Thanks, I'm going to need it," I said back, smiling wryly.

I breathed in deeply with my eyes closed as I heard the bus drive away into the distance. The address that Moka had written for me was out in the middle of nowhere… There were no trees, no houses, no people. I guess that was the whole point, though. If there were lots of humans living in this area, then no doubt there'd be tons more stray humans wandering around lost in the monster world.

There were a couple of bushes, bushels, and shrubs here, though. To the right of the road, there was even a pond. At least, it seemed to be a pond… it was hard to tell with the grassy hills covering half of my sight.

I hoisted my bag up on my shoulders, and dragged my suitcase noisily behind me. Moka had told me that the portal wasn't hard to find; it was beside the pond, inside the only hollow tree within a mile around here. She promised me that the tree and the pond were hard to miss.

She was right. After I had scaled the hill, I came upon a giant, ancient-looking willow tree. It was thick and – after I knocked against the wood for a few seconds – appeared to be hollow. Making sure not to get my things wet around the edge of the pond, I slowly circled this giant willow tree, looking for a way in. Moka had told me that the portal was here, inside the willow tree, but just how was I supposed to get in?! There were no holes or openings I could crawl into, as far as I could see.

I sighed. This was going to take a long time… driving into the portal with a bus would have been much easier.

I knocked against the trunk of the tree again, hoping for a way in. Stunned, I found that it didn't appear to sound hollow anymore. The curiosity in me ignited and forced my body to go back to where I had first knocked against the tree. I rapped my knuckles against it once, twice… yup, it was hollow.

But only that part of the tree appeared to be hollow. The rest of the places – as far as I could tell – seemed to be dense with wood.

Interested, I put my ear up against the hollow part of the tree, hoping to catch any hint of noises or sound. All I got was silence. I still didn't give up, though. I placed my hand flat against the surface of the tree, my palm touching the rough bark. Taking a deep breath in, I slowly pushed my hand forward.

I didn't know what I was expecting to happen, but I didn't feel surprised when my hand passed through the surface. My entire hand disappeared into the tree bark as ripples of waves seemed to spread out from around it. I quickly drew my hand back again.

I was breathing heavy now. My eyes wide in anticipation, I tightened my grip on my belongings. Then, after another deep breath, I closed my eyes and walked through the tree… through the portal.

Suddenly, I remembered something Moka had told me before we parted. She had told me again and again that I had to repeat the address of where I wanted to go over and over in my head as I walked through the portal. When I had asked her why, she had told me that the place I would end up in would be more accurate that way. There were tons of different places in the monster world, she told me, almost like the countries and continents we'd established here in the human world. I could end up at Mizore's place, for all I knew, when I'd be meaning to get to Moka's.

Following the steps Moka taught me, I repeated her address over and over again in my head as I walked through the dazzling, multi-colored rainbow tunnel. Although I couldn't see the tunnel change shape or anything, I felt it shift into a different direction as I walked, tilting and turning left and right. I exhaled in relief; I was right to listen to Moka after all. It was a relief that I hadn't forgotten what she taught me.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, I exited the portal. Bright light hit me in the face as I stepped out into the open; my hand rose to block the bright rays. _Holy cow, _I thought, blinking my eyes, _how is the weather nicer here in the monster world than back in the human world…?_

It was a good thing, though. I'd be staying here now (for who-knows-how-long), and I'd like my stay with everyone to be as enjoyable as possible. In my excitement, I was already planning for our various events! Moka, Kenta, Kiseki and I (and Kokoa, too, if she was willing) could all go on a hike somewhere near the mountains and have a picnic… or we could all go rowing and canoeing in the lakes near Moka's house… it would be wonderful.

I skipped along the road towards the enormous mansion a few yards ahead of me. Sure enough, after I'd exited the portal (putting Moka's teachings to use) I'd arrived not far from Moka's place; there was a neat little brick road that led straight to the grand doors of Moka's house. Although, "house" might not be the right word to use in this case…

Kiseki and Moka had told me that their family was wealthy and well-off, but I had no idea they were _this_ wealthy. Coming from an average family in the human world (with five people living in one house), this was simply mind-blowing. The Shuzen residence looked like a castle, like some kind of Victorian palace. It slightly intimidated me; I knew I'd never truly be equal with them on this level. Sadly, this fact seemed to draw me a little further apart from my friends.

Unlike Yokai Academy, though (which was also located in the monster world), this area seemed to actually have some noticeable weather changes. By the clouds slowly moving and changing shape in the sky, I knew that there would be a Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter here in this place. The trees and flowers were in full bloom, and I could even hear birds chirping in the distance. This place was simply beautiful!

Suddenly, without realizing it, I had arrived at the front door. I had spent so much time admiring my surroundings that I didn't even notice myself walking up the steps to the front entrance. The entrance was a pair of grandiose double-doors, and looked so clean, gleaming, and untouchable that I was even scared to knock on it. With a second glance, I realized that I didn't have to; there was a huge, round doorbell next to the doorframe to the right. I suddenly giggled to myself. I was feeling so nervous and hyper that I couldn't ring the doorbell just at that moment… I took a few deep breaths to calm myself.

_It's okay,_ I thought to myself, _I'm going to be fine…_

Lifting a shaky finger up to the doorbell, I slowly but firmly pressed into it.

Even from outside this grand mansion, I could hear the loud echoing ringing coming from inside the place. It resonated throughout the building for quite a long time, and for a moment I was scared that no one was home; I was afraid that they had forgotten about me and left.

Then, just as I was sinking into the depths of my own despair, I heard the sounds of eager footsteps plodding down the stairs.

"It's that weird human girl, isn't it?" With a start, I recognized the sound of Kokoa's voice. I hadn't heard it in so long… "Why don't you let the maids get the door?"

"I'll get it, I'll get it!" Kenta's voice cried, "Let me get the door, Moka!"

The reply that came surprised me. It was not Moka answering, but someone else.

"Dream on, little guy," Kiseki teased. I heard him racing towards the front door. "_I'm_ getting the door! I have to see her first!"

"Stop fighting," Moka chastised (probably running after them), "You guys sound like children! I bet Ame's listening to you right now, just laughing at you…"

All of a suddenly, the front doors burst open. There in the doorway stood Kiseki, leaning against the doorframe and trying to look nonchalant. It was difficult, though, due to the fact that Kenta was down on the ground, clinging on to Kiseki's legs like he had been dragged across the floor. Then there was Moka, kneeling behind Kiseki and trying to pry Kenta's paws off of him. To finish off the picture, Kokoa was standing behind Moka; her arms were around Moka's neck like she wanted a piggy-back ride.

The quartet stood there in silence for a while, just blinking at me and waiting for my reaction. I stared back at them, unsure of how to respond.

Then, a smile lit up my face. I rushed forward and tried to embrace my friends all at once.

"I missed you guys so much!" I said, laughing. "And it's only been three weeks!"

Kiseki cracked a grin, and threw his arms around my waist. "I missed you too, Ame. I was going to the human world and get you if you didn't come soon…"

Kenta tried to wedge his way in between us. "Me too, Ame! I was gonna go too…"

Knowing how uncomfortable Kenta was in the human world, that really meant a lot to me. Behind them, Moka was smiling at me, looking as sweet and charming as ever. Kokoa squinted at me with suspicion, appraising me.

"Welcome," she finally said to me. She had her arms crossed in front of her chest, and was ignoring my outstretched hand.

"Thank you," I whispered, grinning widely. I felt the happiness bursting in my chest like fireworks. I made one last comment before I entered the big double doors and embraced my new life…

"It feels like home!"

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong>

Hey guys~ Thank you so much for reading :)

I hope you enjoyed this chapter. But, just as a note: this is NOT the ending! That's why there was a question mark at the end of the chapter title, LOL.

I know I could have elaborated on this chapter and made like 10 more just on what happens inside the Shuzen residence, but I wanted to leave that up for you guys to imagine ;). Ame entering the house may seem like the beginning of a new life, but it's also the ending to her old one. And I want to end it on that note~

There is gonna be an Epilogue after this chapter, and a few more extra chapters after that. Read the Epilogue first and the A/N at the end of the Epilogue for more details! That's all I will say for now.

Well, we've come a long way, guys :) I hope you'll stick around for the end of this! It will be a shame if you didn't xD

See you in the chapter, then~!

- ACookieZ


	57. Chapter 57

**Angel vs. Demon**

Epilogue - 20 Years Later

I felt a strange sense of déjà vu and homesickness.

Being in the kitchen and frying eggs in a pan… that was the same thing my dad did for me the morning before school started, before all my adventures at Yokai Academy. And now here I was, doing the exact same thing he did, for my own children.

"Mom… Mom?"

Angie zooms down the stairs and into the kitchen, swinging her suitcase around.

"Quick, I don't know what to pack!" she said, her silky brown hair swishing from side to side. "This suitcase is almost full, but I still have, like, _three_ more to go!"

My jaw dropped, and so did the eggs I was flipping. Almost.

"What?" I demanded, shocked. Had I brought that many things when I first started boarding school…? I doubted that. My child was definitely going overboard.

"Ame, honey, it's alright." My husband had woken up. He rubbed his eyes and staggered out of the bedroom. "I'll call a special moving service to get everything loaded into Yokai Academy, or just get my butler to do it or something. We talked this over, remember?"

"Yeah!" Angie grinned at me, sitting down on one of the kitchen chairs. "Exactly like Daddy said."

I couldn't help but roll my eyes at her cute childishness.

The refrigerator door suddenly opened, and I spun around to see my other daughter soundlessly grabbing a container of juice from inside it.

"Good morning, Mom." Devie settled into the chair opposite Angie's, pouring herself a glass of tomato juice.

She held the container up to Angie. "Want some?"

"Sure!" Angie smiled, her blue eyes twinkling and dimples showing on her fair face. If you didn't know me and my family, you would probably think that these two weren't related.

Devie was the older one, born earlier by a few minutes. The nurses were shocked at her head full of bouncy, dirty blond curls, and her blood-red eyes. Devie was the mature one, though. She always was.

Angie looked like an angel, with her blue eyes and dark-brown hair. She never got over how the guys always went for her twin sister, though… Devie, being the smarter and "hotter" one, surpassed Angie with her maturity. I'm a mother, so personally I don't judge. Angie was a sweetheart, nonetheless, and got along with Devie spectacularly (and vise versa). I truly loved both of my daughters.

Kiseki swooped down and kissed me on the neck, still making be blush after so many years.

"You look gorgeous today, as usual," he whispered in my ear.

And, of course, I loved my husband. I am so fortunate to have these people in my life.

"Already, Dad...?" Devie asked, smirking and making kissy faces at us. "At least wait until we left!"

Angie laughed. "Seriously… this early in the morning!"

The honking of a horn outside our new mansion stopped further conversations. We had gotten a grand house just a couple of miles away from the Shuzen residence, so it surprised me now fast the bus arrived. Immediately, my two daughters got up to get ready.

Well, cue the irritating mother. Time for me to be annoying!

"Girls, you got all your stuff? Are you all ready? Packed, set, and everything?"

"Yes, Mom."

"Don't forget to eat healthy, alright? Stay out of trouble…"

"We know, Mom."

"Call me, sweeties, if you're having problems!"

"Okay, Mom."

Kiseki restrained me from further irritating my children. I sighed. I was going to miss them so much…

"Love you Mom, Dad!" they called as they headed out the door.

"Love you too, Angie, Devie!" we answered, waving.

I watched them as they boarded the school bus, resting my head on Kiseki's shoulder. I caught a glimpse of the bus driver, smirking at me from behind his cap. I shuddered involuntarily; he looked the same as when I first saw him. He didn't seem to age, even after all these years. Ignoring that creepy feeling, I smiled back at him.

"I'm happy, Kiseki." I said, sighing.

Kiseki kissed the top of my head. "Then I'm happy, too."

Together, we watched our children roll off into the distance…

… towards Yokai Academy.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Final Note:<strong>

Phew, so, this is it! Thank you all so much for reading and reviewing and favoriting (if you did).

Hallelujah! It's finally the end of this story. Thank you, thank you, and thank you for reading up to here and sticking/bearing with me.

I hope my epilogue satisfied you. This has really been a lot of work… I think I might take a break for while xD. You know, take a vacation from FanFiction or something, haha. I'm not even sure what I'm going to write about again, if I'm going to. I'll keep you guys updated, though, if I am. Hey, maybe a few of you can even PM and leave a few suggestions! I wouldn't mind ;)

Well, since it's the epilogue and stuff (and my story has now officially ended), feel free to leave any comments or thoughts on the overall story (just make sure not to leave any spoilers).

You can tell me a few things… like, for instance, what you enjoyed best about the story (plots, action, drama, etc.), who your favorite character was (OC or not), and who your least favorite character is (OC or not). I'd really LOVE it if you _did _reply to something along those lines, because I really enjoy reading what you guys think about the characters and plot and stuff… since sharing opinions and ideas make me happy x). Your feedbacks are all very important, trust me! I just hope at least some of you will write something after reading the Epilogue, though x(

But, contrary to what I said before, this FanFic isn't COMPLETELY over! The story itself is (you already read the Epilogue after all), but there will be EXTRA CHAPTERS uploaded after this. I will be adding chapters such as POVs from other characters, and snippets from the histories/background stories of different characters, etc. So be sure to read those after this chapter, and let me know what you think about them! Who knows, your favorite character might just be in one of those "extra" chapters! ;)

Oh, and if you're all wondering why I didn't write anything about any of the other Rosario Vampire characters… it's _not_ because I didn't want to (trust me, I love all members of the R +V cast), but I didn't think I had the right to decide the fates for these characters. The reason I didn't write "who ends up with whom" and "what happened to the other monsters after they graduated Yokai Academy" is because I want to leave it up the YOU to imagine and decide the destinies of these characters and – most importantly – for the author himself to do so. Besides, some of you might be disappointed with the matching or whatever... you never know. Anyway, I've messed with these characters in my story already, so I think I've done enough, haha x)

Well, once again, thank you for staying with me till the end, and for all you support and reviews. I loved reading them, and they helped me out a lot; I learned so much from them :D

I wasn't completely 100% satisfied with what I wrote (I liked it, but I mean, c'mon, not everything was _perfect -_-_), but I wanted to share it with you all anyways~

I love Rosario Vampire, and I hope that, although _my_ story/FanFic of it has ended, Rosario Vampire itself will continue forever. I'm sure it will :3

- ACookieZ


	58. Chapter 58

**Angel vs. Demon**

Extra Chapter 1 – Utterly Devoted (Lucy's POV)

"Please, ma'am, would you spare some change?" I begged, holding my hands out to a passer-by. "Can you be kind enough to spare some extra change, please…?"

Despite my desperate begging, the woman – like everyone else – ignored me and hurried on her way. She was busy, it seemed; she was like everyone else, with their pretty little hats and expensive-looking clothes, hurrying to and fro carrying important-looking-packages.

I shivered involuntarily, huddling closer to myself. I was barefoot, had minimal amounts of clothing to cover my shivering skin, and I hadn't eaten in days. It was nasty to look at myself… I hated the way I could see my bones and veins clearly through my skin. I was sure I wasn't nice to look at, but it's not like I was able to change that fact. My parents had found out that I slept with the cook's son; they had disowned me. I didn't care, though; I didn't regret a moment of anything. He was handsome (and easy to tease), so I had slept with him. What was the big deal?

I knew, however, that in my society (where wealthy men wore top-hats and the ladies wore puffy dresses that squeezed the life out of their waists), women had to stay pure; they had to be a virgin until they were married. As pitiful as I was now, I almost laughed at the thought. I didn't believe in it one bit.

So now here I was, huddling in an abandoned alleyway with no home or any place to go to, no clothes to wear, and no food to eat. I was as poor as a street urchin! I'd sold and bargained off my valuable items of clothing a long time ago, and now I had nothing to sell. I'd sell my body, if I could, but obviously no one wanted me; I had already sunk down so low that no normal citizen wanted anything to do with me.

Suddenly, I noticed a wealthy-looking man coming my way. Gathering up my courage, I inched towards him.

"Kind sir, would you please spare some money?" I whispered, my voice irritatingly hoarse and croaky. I couldn't help it, it wasn't my fault. I hadn't had a sip of water in ages. Who could blame me for this? Clearing my throat painfully, I tried again, scrambling closer to him.

"Please, sir…"

"Get out of my way, you nasty woman!" he yelled, kicking at me. I gasped painfully as his foot come into contact with my ribs.

"You disgust me," he said, grimacing, "Don't you dare try to get near me!"

I whimpered and cowered back, crawling back to my little hideout. I gently massaged the spot on my ribs where he had kicked. Darn, this would leave a bruise on me for weeks! I muttered curses at that man under my breath. Sure, he didn't give me any money, but he didn't have to _kick_ me!

Sniffling, I wrapped my arms around my legs and rested my tired, grimy head on my knees. This was terrible… unless someone came to help me, I knew I would die soon. I just couldn't survive a moment longer, not in this condition…

"Hello, Miss?" a male voice near me said. I paid it no attention; he probably wasn't talking to me at all. No one would talk to me. Why would it be any different this time?

Suddenly, I felt someone poke at my shoulder. "Hello? Are you awake?"

My head snapped up. I almost couldn't believe my eyes! I thought I was dreaming… or that I had died and gone to Heaven. This was impossible… What I saw in front of me was the handsomest man I'd ever laid eyes on. He had clean, blond hair, beautiful dark eyes, and a sharp and defined nose. He looked like a fallen angel from Heaven…

… but why was such a gentleman speaking to me?

"H-Hello," I murmured, feeling shy. I wish I looked more presentable and decent; then, maybe I could flirt with him a bit and he could take me out for a meal. My stomach was nagging at me to eat.

"It's nice to meet you," he said, smiling at me. His teeth were blinding; they were so white I almost couldn't stand it. He continued speaking while smiling at me: "What is such a lovely young lady like you doing here in a place like this?"

"I-!"

"It's alright, Lucy, I really don't care," he said, smiling innocently at me. "In fact, I really want to take you out for a meal right now… what do you say? Will you come with me to eat?"

I was going to ask how he knew of my name, but at that moment, I just didn't really care. It didn't seem important to me because – boy, was this the luckiest day of my life or what? I didn't even have to say anything, and the guy was already asking me out to dinner!

"Of course," I smiled, getting up unsteadily. "I'd love to have dinner with you."

The young man held his arm out for me to take, and – after I'd accepted it – the two of us walked down the street. Pedestrians stared at us like we had grown two heads, but I didn't care. I knew we were terribly mismatched, but the gentleman didn't mind, so I didn't either. I was just looking forward to the dinner, truthfully… once my hunger was satiated, I'd think about him later.

I looked at the surroundings around us, then frowned at him.

"What's wrong?" he said, looking at me innocently.

"Where are we going?" I asked, looking around us. "This is not the way to the restaurant or the diner's… you're taking me to-,"

"Ah, yes, it's a little surprise," he said, smiling at me. "I have to make you look presentable, at least. Wouldn't you like a change of clothing?"

My eyes widened. "Are you kidding with me? You're actually taking me to buy new clothes?"

"Why not?" he asked, eyebrows raised. "We have some time to spare, don't we?"

I grinned foolishly and clung on tighter to his arm. This was a dream-come-true! I never thought I'd see the day where I didn't have to beg out on the streets anymore. Well… technically, the gentleman didn't completely accept me yet, but after I was all dressed up and full, he wouldn't be able to resist me. I have this certain charm for making people do what I want them to… if I could get this gentleman to fall for me, then I wouldn't have to worry about a thing anymore.

"Here we are," he announced, stopping in front of a very expensive clothing shop. "Go into the back room and wash up a bit, first, will you? All the necessary tings will be provided for you. Then, after you're finished, we'll take a look at all the clothes. You'll get to wear whatever I pick out for you!"

"Yes, sir, thank you," I chirped happily, tiredness and soreness forgotten.

"Call me… Garron," the man said, smiling at me openly. "Garron Lived."

Nodding at him, I slipped into the room at the back of the shop. There was a makeshift tub in the middle of the room, with towels and soap lined beside it. Hastily, not wasting a single second, I stripped naked and practically threw myself into the tub. I filled it to the rim with water and scrubbed my body until I was sore. And – before the bath water got dirty – I even drank some of it from the tap. It felt so good, the fresh water running down my throat. I wanted to stay in this tub and soak up as much moisture as I could.

Finally, when I couldn't take it anymore, I got out of the tub and wiped myself dry with the towel. There was a clean bath robe beside the towel, and (not wanting to wear my disgusting, hideous street-beggar outfit anymore), I put it on. Then I finally entered the front of the shop.

"Hello, Lucy," Mr. Lived said after he saw me, "How was the water?"

"It tasted wonder- I mean, it felt really nice," I replied, smiling tentatively.

Mr. Lived nodded. "Come over here, Lucy, and let the lady take your measurements."

Almost immediately, I bounded over to him and the seamstress. It might have been suspicious why the man was helping me out so much, but that didn't bother me. I was already so attached to him; if he wanted to take me home that day, I would've definitely agreed.

I felt as if in a daze as the lady measured me; I was the happiest girl in the world. This Garron gentleman, he was my knight in shining armor, riding on a white horse to save me from distress. I was no doubt in his debt, but I loved him; I would serve him for the rest of my life.

* * *

><p>"How did you like the food?" Mr. Lived asked as we left the diner. After buying a dozen new dresses for me, he had brought me to the most expensive restaurant in town. We had the most delightful dinner in all of my life.<p>

"It was absolutely wonderful," I replied, smiling at him in adoration. He was so handsome, so kind, and so understanding… He didn't judge me back then, at all. Even though he knew I was homeless, starving, and poor, he still took care of me. This was the man I wanted to be with for the rest of eternity.

Mr. Lived strolled with me down the streets of the town, and pretty soon we arrived in the park. It was a nice, public place to relax and have a picnic. I personally had never been here with another man before, and I felt like we were lovers; I was so excited. Looking at me in amusement, he placed the bags of clothing down on an empty bench.

"What are we doing here?" I asked, smiling at him in a flirty way.

"I want to give you something," Mr. Lived said, reaching into his coat pocket. "It's a very special present, and I want you to wear it."

He took out two bracelets and a pair of earrings. They rested in the palm of his hand like little treasures. I was touched; nobody had ever given me anything like this before. It looked very expensive and intricate; he must have got this custom-designed or something.

"Oh my, thank you!" I exclaimed, immediately slipping the accessories on. Luckily I already had my ears pierced, so the earrings fit in perfectly. "These are beautiful, Mr. Lived… I will treasure them very much. I promise to wear them for the rest of my life…"

"That's wonderful," he replied, clearly pleased. "Don't ever take it off, Lucy. These are the things that connect me to you… if you take them off, then I will probably disappear from your side forever."

My heart beat faster, and I fingered the bracelet nervously. This meant I had to protect them, no matter what. I wouldn't ever take them off, ever… Garron Lived had to be with me my entire life. I had to make sure of that.

"Thank you, sir," I said, bowing my head respectfully. "I will never let them out of my sight. I swear it."

* * *

><p>I had been with Garron for almost a year, now. I had grew and changed a lot over the past few months (both physically and mentally), but Garron never seemed to age or change at all. He always remained so perfect, so handsome. So heartbreakingly stunning.<p>

After the day he gave me the bracelet and earrings, I had remained by his side. Many people (mostly strangers whom I did not know) warned me again and again to stay away from him… one man even told me to take the accessories off! I had laughed in his face; obviously I would refuse him. I'd never take his present off, so long as I was alive. It was the thing that connected us together; it was the thing that made us one. I could feel it, somehow, as little by little I was changing.

I realized, though, that he was a very busy man; he was always going about meeting strange people and speaking to them privately. He gave me odd jobs to do now and then, where I had to pass on letters and deliver messages for him. And when he wasn't around, I looked after the house and did the cooking and cleaning. I was basically the housekeeper or maid of his household (although he already had plenty of those already).

Normally, I would have hated such a job… but since it was my Master (I had started calling him that since I began to serve him), I didn't mind. He was a wonderful man… he kept to himself most of the time and sometimes had frightening moments where he would just rage and abuse us (the maids), but I didn't mind. That just showed that he was human; he was flawed, just like I was. Just like we all were. It made him all the more enticing.

Nowadays, I seldom got to speak with my Master. He was out all the time, going about his business and meeting with groups of strange, scary-looking people. I desperately wanted to see his face again, to talk to him, to chat with him like we used to… especially recently. I had been feeling… different… lately, and I wanted to discuss this with him.

I wasn't sick or ill, no… I didn't appear to have a fever. But I kept getting these severe headaches, and there was a weird, persuading voice inside my head that just wouldn't shut its trap. I felt like it was my conscience, though, and I listened to it most of the time, no matter how strange its commands were.

There was another thing that terrified me. I had also developed this strange craving for the sadness of others… Every time another one of the maids cried, raved, or was upset, I'd soak it all up in glee. Sometimes, when I didn't seem to get enough of it, I'd make some people cry on purpose; I'd deliberately be cruel to them just so I can feel the satisfaction of their despair. It made me giddy and satisfied, although I didn't know why.

I had also been blacking out recently. I'd just lose consciousness for moments at a time. How long exactly, I did not know, but when I woke up I'd find the top of my head and the tip of my tailbone feeling very sore… not to mention my shoulders. It felt like I had been exercising excessively or something, the way my shoulders and back ached. Not only that, I tended to have nightmares recently, as well. I was always locked in some kind of deep black hole, and I could never get out. The dreams had gotten worse lately…

That night, I decided to stay up and wait for Master to come home, so I could speak to him. He arrived late as usual, almost one-o'clock in the morning, and appeared to be tired and silent.

"Master Garron," I whispered, walking up behind him. "Let me take this for you…"

I took his jacket, top-hat, and cane from him, as he sighed and collapsed on the couch before the fireplace. He propped his feet up on the coffee table, and closed his eyes as if about to sleep.

All the other maids and servants were all asleep, so I was the last one here with my Master. Plucking up my courage, I walked over to him and knelt down beside him, near his knee.

"Master," I whispered, placing one of my hands on his knee. "Master Garron, I wish to speak to you."

"What is it?" he asked without opening his eyes.

"Um… some strange things have been happening to me recently, and I felt as if I should let you know."

Immediately, Garron sat up straight and looked me in the eyes. "Tell me, what kind of strange things? Say it right now!"

"Well, Master, I've been excessively cruel these days," I began, trembling. All of a sudden I felt very apprehensive. "And I've blacked out for periods of time, and even had strange nightmares. There is also a strange voice in my head that urges me to do unusual things…"

A grin stretched over Garron's face. He nodded, like he understood what I was going through. I felt a wave of relief wash over me, and I sighed gratefully. I knew Master would understand; he wouldn't judge me, no matter how strange the situation was. I knew I could trust him.

"It's alright, dear," he said, smiling at me. He caressed my face with his hands. Closing my eyes, I leaned my cheek into his palm.

"That's normal," he continued on, as if teaching me simple math equations, "it'll all work out in the end, trust me. I wondered why it took you so long to develop… I was worried about you, see. But now I know that everything's going according to plan! My dear, sweet Lucy… soon, very soon, you'd be standing by my side serving me in another world. You will gain power you've never imagined, and you shall never have to fear anything ever again…!"

Suddenly, just as he finished speaking, I felt a strange sensation coming over me. It was as if his words awakened some sleeping, latent abilities within me…I felt myself changing from the inside.

Master Garron seemed to be able to sense it, as well. This look of eager anticipation came over his face as he watched me sink to the ground, gasping. My wide eyes were fixed on his as I clawed at my chest, trying to get the pain away. I couldn't, though, no matter how hard I tried; the burning was inside of me, and I couldn't remove it or relieve it without destroying myself.

"Ah, the _pain_!" I screamed, thrashing around. "Why does it feel like my insides are on fire?!" It hurt, it hurt so bad. This strange internal fire was slowly cooking my organs… frying them and making them the side dish of the day. I just couldn't take it anymore! I'd never felt such pain in my life.

Garron stood over me, grinning in glee and fascination as I twisted and turned on the floor. As crazy as it sounded, he seemed even more beautiful just then... he seemed like a revengeful, fallen angel. It made him intruiging, entrancing, and oh-so-handsome.

"Good…" he said out loud to no one in particular, "… that means its working."

The last thing I remembered seeing before I blacked out was Master Garron's ambiguous, teeth-bearing smile. My heart throbbed painfully in love, devotion, and fear as I stared into his dark eyes. What scared me most, though, was the fact that I actually liked it. I liked his look; I liked the way he was smiling at me, as if he could just eat me up in one gulp. It felt like he could see right into my soul. The look he gave me... it chained me to him and made me his prisoner. That look made me his slave for life.

I will never forget it for as long as I shall live.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong>

Hey guys~ I hope this chapter interested you x)

Yup, so now you know how Lucy became a demon! I wanted to elaborate and write more (on what happens after she wakes up, etc.) but I felt like that you get the idea already… so yeah, we'll just leave it at that.

Anyways, there will be a few more chapters like this coming up! Keep reading and favoriting… because, you never know, your favorite character's POV might just come next! :D

- ACookieZ


	59. Chapter 59

**Angel vs. Demon**

Extra Chapter #2 – Desperate Measures (Garron's POV)

I could feel it getting closer, with each step that I took. The feeling of excitement and anticipation – just a small pit-sized region in the bottom of my stomach – now bubbled and expanded until it consumed my entire being. I could almost physically taste the power in the air; just the sense of it filled me… and I wasn't even close yet!

I thought of how great it would be once I had finally reached my destination. All the fast-healed scars, bloody battle wounds, and cuts and bruises that were plastered on my skin would mean nothing to me once I had gotten myself a hold of that power. Raw, ancient, pure _power_.

These wounds? They'd be gone in the blink of an eye. Quite a few of them hurt (especially the open ones), but I had to bear it. I had to suck it in and deal with it until I could inhale some of the essence… Quite honestly, though, the entire place was overly protected. It was too heavily guarded; even I had trouble getting past some of the traps and ambushes.

One of the bad things about the creature's lair is that it was underground. So many things could have gone wrong, considering the fact it was located in such a dangerous area. The dirt ceiling above me could cave in, and I could be stuck in the dark tunnels forever; the snares and traps laid out in the tunnels could cause me to lose a limb or two; the creatures, demons, and monsters guarding the area could have killed me and eaten me whole. The worst part of it all was that the damn being was at the very deep underground… I had to go many days without a proper meal and just trek on and on through the tunnels. I had to make do with inhaling the unsatisfactory essence of the minor demons and stray monsters that got lost in the tunnels, and there weren't very many of them. Most of their energy and power were wasted away, anyways, so that didn't nourish me much.

In fact, I didn't think anything could have nourished me except for the creature's power. His strength, his energy, his essence would fill me so completely that I wouldn't have to worry about another meal ever again; I wouldn't have to live off of those low-class beings or pretend to eat human mush.

And… I would never be belittled again.

I shuddered a bit in the tunnels just then. Not from the cold (although it was quite chilly here underground), but from the flashbacks. I was more vulnerable to haunting memories down here in the deep, dark tunnels, and I had more trouble fighting them off now as I had before. It was harder to battle them – harder to shake off the nightmares and frightening reminiscences as I hiked along alone.

With a jolt, I remembered something of my past.

"_What are you doing?!" my mother yelled at me as she saw me carrying a lifeless, limp squirrel in my hands. She had walked in on me hunting; I was on the tree out in our backyard. My mother – she had probably seen me sucking the life force out of the – _

"_You're a monster!" she screamed at me. The horrified and repulsed expression on her face – I'd never forget it._

"_You don't understand, Ma," I began, wanting to explain things to her. I blinked furiously as I tried to calm the swirling essence of the squirrel spinning around in my pupils. It showed; I knew that much. I had seen my reflection in the pond when I had hunted my first rabbit… it had startled me, too. I understand why Ma would be so upset and –_

"_Child of the Devil!" she cried, tears streaming down her face. She did not blink or squint; her eyes wouldn't close. They stayed open – wide, wide open – as she pointed her finger at me. She began reciting prayers from the Bible, and backed away from me._

"_Demon!" Ma shrieked. She was beginning to turn hysterical. "The Devil's reincarnation!"_

I blinked the memory away. My mother hadn't understood me at all. It was completely unfair, the way she jumped to conclusions like that. Yes, it was true, the power I had wasn't normal. The rest of my family wasn't like that; they were all normal humans. Looking back on it, I realized I had probably been cursed or something. I suddenly smiled wryly; maybe my mother was right. Maybe I _was _the Devil's reincarnation.

That didn't give her the excuse to accuse me of anything, though. None of it was my fault; I had tried to explain to her. I didn't tell her (or anyone else, for that matter) anything earlier because I was unsure of my situation. I knew no one else that had powers similar to mine, so I had decided to bid my time and keep my hysteria firmly locked down until I could reveal my dark "secret" at the right moment. Then, perhaps, others would understand me – maybe even help me.

Out of everyone, I had thought my mother would be the most understanding. Instead, she had rushed into the kitchen and had gotten out a large cutting knife – it had been waved in front of my face threateningly.

What choice did I have? I had to kill her.

My virtues, my conscience, my morals and integrity… every good essence of me had been drained out that day as I gripped my mother by the throat and sucked the life force out of her. I was only nine at that time, yet I remembered feeling an anger that even middle-aged adults didn't feel. Hot red rage seared through my body and filled my vision until I was blinded by fury; red was all I could see. Being so young and immature, I probably couldn't control that emotion… that was why I had acted the way I did.

I had felt my weak, naïve, and vulnerable self dissipate the moment my mother's body fell limp to the ground. That innocent and immature part of me was replaced with something else… something darker, stronger, and menacing. And it stayed with me, just as my powers did, to this day.

I felt my body convulse as I unconsciously fought off another flashback…

"_What are you looking at, you little punk?" The older monster shoved me up against the wall, while all his buddies and so-called "friends" chortled and laughed behind him._

"_You wanna go?" he asked, getting all up in my face. "You wanna go at me, you little freak?"_

"_I'm not a freak," I protested. I felt the familiar emotions of fury flare up in me as I fought to control it. I didn't want to get into any more trouble; I could not afford to get kicked out of another orphanage yet again…_

"_You're not a freak, huh?" the monster asked, snorting. "Then what's up with this power of yours? Don't give me that look, ya little bastard – we saw what you did out in the garden that other night. What, scared we found out? We showed you our powers, so how about you demonstrate yours, eh?"_

"_Yeah!" the rest of his gang echoed. "Show us what you got, you freak!"_

"_You know what?" the monster bully asked, looming over me even further. "I think I know what you're trying to do. You've been hiding this from us 'cause you're plannin' something, aren't ya? You're probably gonna eat our brains at night! Ha, you wanna suck out my life force – f*uck that, you little b*tch!"_

_That was it; I had had enough. My powers rose within me, and – with a roar of defiance – I charged at my enemies. I was going to show them not to mess with me again!_

With a gasp, I was brought back to reality. Again, I was back here in the deep dark tunnels.

"That was an interesting memory," I murmured out loud, rubbing my temples.

That scene had taken place in the orphanage after I was taken away from my home. I was a teenager, back then… going through that awkward stage in life. I had been moved from orphanage to foster home to orphanage again. I never stayed in the same place for too long; according to everyone else, I displayed strong emotions of anger and violent behavior. Nobody ever wanted to keep me.

Little did they know that it was only a taste of my true power. After being removed from various human orphanages, eventually I ended up staying with the abandoned monsters in a supernatural orphanage. I remembered being so extremely relieved and at peace; I thought I had finally found a place where I could belong, where nobody would judge me for my strange powers and feeding habits.

I was wrong, though. The parentless, homeless monsters there at the orphanage were nothing but a pack of rude, aggressive bullies. They pushed me around day after day, thinking I was too weak to defend myself. I didn't dare fight back; I knew that if I did, I'd be kicked out of yet another place to stay. So I hid my powers from them, hunted in secret, and never spoke to anyone.

Thinking back on this, I realized I should have dealt with them sooner. I should have used my powers to my benefit and destroyed them. Isolating myself from them only made me more vulnerable and noticeable. That memory – that flashback – was from the day I had finally snapped. The bullies had gotten too out-of-order… they had beaten me until I was black and blue. They had even transformed into their monster forms to harass and intimidate me (which were against the rules in the orphanage).

So I killed them. I drained their life forces, one by one. I started out with one of the leader's followers, the smaller and weaker ones in comparison, and moved up the chain. It was unbelievably satisfying to see the terror and horror in the big bully's face as I closed in on him (the last one alive), with the lifeless bodies of his "friends" piled up behind me.

I was incomparably smaller than them, yes. Even as a teenager, I hadn't grown that much. I had always been smaller and shorter than average male monsters. The only way to fix that, I found out, was to consume as much energy and life force as possible. I hunted frequently and on a regular basis, and gained more weight and muscle. Instead of cringing away from my "freakish" powers, I embraced it; I used it for my own good, to my own advantage. I no longer tried to unsuccessfully kill myself; I didn't starve or restrain myself any longer. I openly hunted and killed, and felt not a drop of remorse.

Even down here in the dark undergrounds where no one could see, I smiled widely. I never regretted my decision. After letting loose and setting myself free, I had definitely gotten more powerful.

Suddenly, the end of the tunnel became brighter. With renewed energy, I charged towards the exit. I was finally here! I had finally reached my destination…!

My breath stopped and I halted in my tracks as I came upon the large underground cavern. I had dealt with many hardships and challenges along the way here, but none of them had taken my breath away or stunned me in this way. This sight was unbelievable – the fact that I had reached my goal was unbelievable.

Alucard was magnificent. He was a great, majestic creature, even as he was crouched down here hibernating throughout the years. My eyes couldn't take all of him in; I seemed incomparably small and insignificant next to this monster. I must have been like an ant to him, something he could overlook and squash dead in the blink of an eye. He was half-buried in the earth, though – I was on a dirt platform, close to his chest area. This underground cavern didn't nearly fit Alucard's physical form.

Suddenly, I felt my mouth widening into a teeth-baring grin. I had finally made it! This was a moment to be remembered and celebrated. Once I had consumed a few breaths of Alucard's essence, I will have powers no one knew would be possible – I would be invincible!

I walked over towards Alucard's resting body, nearing his torso. Gently, ever so gently, I laid my palm on his chest. My hand didn't even cover a tiny fraction of his entire body, but at least I was touching him – I physically felt the connection being made as I came into contact with this great being.

"This is the moment I've been waiting for," I said out loud to no one in particular, "I will finally become the most powerful…"

With a crazy, lunatic smile, I threw my head back and laughed loudly in triumph. "Nobody will ever dare to look down on me again!"

I couldn't wait anymore; not hesitating a second longer, I opened my mouth as wide as possible and took in a deep breath.

The soul-sucking process wasn't as easy as it seemed. Even with lesser demons and lower-class monsters, I had to focus to extract their energies from them. It wasn't as simple as breathing in or inhaling. I saw my prey's life force as I fed; I saw their heart, beating and pumping, and their power and monstrous energy concentrated inside of them. Then – with great precision and intense concentration – I had to extract that from them.

Usually, it would be easier to tear them apart physically while draining their essence; that way the opening would be larger, and their energy would flow out of them faster. I rarely did that, though. It made too much of a mess, and it was harder to cover the evidence. I had to do it the hard way, by forcing their essence out of their facial openings. It took slightly longer, and the process was slightly more demanding, but it was worth it.

Alucard was different, though. All the prey, beasts, and monsters I had hunted in my life up till now – every single one of them – did not compare to this ancient creature. One breath of Alucard's essence amounted to the full bodily energies of countless minor demons and common monsters – millions and millions, I would wager. It was incomparable and unimaginable; Alucard's power blew my mind as soon as I had one whiff of his essence.

The taste itself was amazing. Just one huff of it filled my entire body with energy – it felt like I was going to explode from all of the power stored up inside of me. I might be nothing but a storage vessel for other creature's essences and energies (I consumed and fed off of that), but I was too measly and inadequate for Alucard's essence. It would take hours for me to fully extract everything, and even before then, I'd probably die or combust from all the energy and power. I just couldn't handle it – I couldn't take in all of it.

That didn't mean I couldn't try.

I knew my limits. As much as I didn't get hooked or addicted to his energy, I would be able to watch myself and stop whenever. It would be a shame, I had to admit. But I could always come back for more again… and again… and again…

Any coherent thoughts I had made evaporated and dissolved inside of my head as I continuously inhaled more of Alucard's essence. Soon, I could think of nothing else but how to get more… I was like a kid in a candy shop. I just couldn't control myself…

"Enough!" a deep, commanding voice bellowed.

At once, I felt something encircle me. Although my vision was hazy and I felt dizzy and light-headed, I noticed that a golden circular ring had appeared around my feet. The lining shot up and grew in height until it enveloped me in a dome… a bright, glowing shield that radiated power. My breathing came out heavy, and – without wanting to – I collapsed to my knees.

I felt so heavy, so weighed down, from all of the power I had consumed. I was sure that Alucard had not created the shield, though (I didn't even know if he could), so it must have been someone else. Someone else… Suddenly, a thought popped into my sluggish brain.

I had been captured! Someone had locked me in a barrier…!

"What's this?" I demanded in disbelief. I wanted to feel fury – I actually wanted to let my demonic anger loose – but I couldn't even think straight. My words had come out slurred and heavy. "Why am I in a barrier…?"

I looked up to see six figures standing before me – no, three. I was starting to see doubles. Blinking furiously several times, I squinted at the three people. Two of them were women, with long hair… wait, no; one of them was a man. I forced my eyes to focus. There was a man with long white hair, and a woman with long fair hair as well. There was another person – a man, I assumed it to be – who was cloaked in a long white robe. He had a headdress on and everything; I couldn't see the top half of his face properly. He looked to be some sort of priest.

All three of them were extremely powerful, I could easily sense that. If they wanted to kill me right then and there, they easily could. Hell, if they wanted to team up together and slay Alucard, they probably would succeed (though not without a struggle). Normally, under those conditions, I would have been cowering beneath them and praying that they wouldn't make fun of me. Now, however, I had Alucard's power within me! I only took a few huffs, sure, but that was still enough to make me feel powerful beyond measures. I wasn't going to back down this time; I was going to fight. I was going to unleash all my power, anger, and brutality.

The priest was the one who had me in the barrier, I could tell. He held out a silver cross before him, angled directly before the shield's surface. It was clear he was the one keeping it together – he was the one who had summoned it. The other two simply stood there beside him, looking menacing.

"How dare you trap me in here!" I shouted at him, willing me voice not to come out garbled. "Do you know who I am? Do you know what I've done? If you had known what I had gone through and what I did, you wouldn't be-,"

"Oh, we know what you've done, alright," the priest said, chuckling darkly.

"That was not a smart move," the long-haired man added, clicking his tongue in disapproval. "Stealing the life force from an ancient, powerful, pioneer monster? I'm surprised you survived! Look at you, you can hardly stand up on your own."

"I'm more worried about Alucard," the female replied, looking glum. "This soul-sucking monster could have stirred him from his slumber – or worse, woken him up and angered him. It's fortunate that we stopped him in time."

I was right here in front of them, yet they were talking about me as if I didn't exist. They didn't outright wound or hurt me, but this was far worse. Nobody ignored Garron Lived! They dared to look down on me, even now. The state I was in wasn't pretty, I knew that, but they had to have known the obstacles I'd gone through; they had to acknowledge how powerful I was now. Yet they kept on babbling, worrying about Alucard, about the stupid minor monsters and demons, and about humans. Ha! Humans…! Who gave a damn about them?! It was truly unbelievable. They had me right in front of them, yet they were talking about _humans_. I was that insignificant to them.

Suddenly, hate and fury bloomed in my chest. It grew and expanded until I felt like I was going to explode! How dared they. They couldn't trap me here; they couldn't disregard me in this way. With a loud yell, a wave of dark black demonic power burst out of me and raked against the inside of the barrier.

That got their attention. I was trying to break through the barrier and escape, but getting their notice was the next best thing.

"That was close," the priest mumbled, gripping the cross tighter. "I thought he was going to break it."

"We'd better dispose of him fast," the long-haired man said, "and send him away from here."

"No!" I screamed in defiance. "You can't get rid of me…! I'll come back. I'll come back, find Alucard, then hunt all of you down! One by one, I'd capture you all and drain your life force…"

"He's turning hysterical," the woman whispered, looking at me pitifully. "It must be from Alucard's essence… it might be powerful, but it also has a deadly effect. He must be poisoned… he needs to heal."

I didn't need her advice, much less her pity. It would be a lie to say that I was in control of myself just then, but I still struggled. I fought back with all I got. I charged at the barrier, again and again, and swore at the three powerful beings and vowed revenge. They couldn't stop me; I was invincible now.

Suddenly, the priest began mumbling under his breath. A chain of incoherent and indistinguishable words flowed out of his mouth, and as he chanted, the barrier I was in began to shrink. It got smaller and smaller until I was squeezed up from both of my sides; I felt like I was being compressed to death.

"Stop!" I shouted as loudly and as intimidating as I could. My voice was hoarse and heavy, and I had trouble breathing. "You can't do this to me, you bastards! I'll get you one day, I swear I will…!"

Again, the woman gave me that sympathetic look. Her expression didn't change as the priest said the final words, and a dark hole opened up beneath my feet.

"Aaah!"

I let out a yell as I dropped from where I was. I fell down, deeper and deeper into the dark chasm. Their figures disappeared as the earth closed up above me, and I continued to fall.

The abyss was endless… it was black and full of nothingness. I knew I was in pain before, but as I fell alone in the dark, I wasn't sure anymore. My physical body disintegrated, and I was unsure of everything now, since I was helpless and powerless. I couldn't see – there was no difference when I opened my eyes and closed them. I couldn't feel – my limbs did not touch any surface whatsoever. I couldn't hear – the only sound was the echoing of my own screams and cries. I was left to face myself, and it terrified me.

All that was left of me were my own thoughts and feelings, and the only thing that I had at my disposal now was time: time to reflect upon things, time to feel anger and revulsion… and time to plan for revenge.

I vowed that I would get back on my feet again and destroy the three powerful beings; I would annihilate all that stood in my way – everyone, everything – and become the most powerful.

No one would ever look down on me again.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong>

Hello :) Thanks for reading~

I really hope you liked this chapter… I worked so hard on it, haha. Hopefully you'd notice that the narrating style is different from normal, and is more Garron-like. I wanted it to feel as real as possible ;)

Anyways, stay tuned! There's a couple more coming up. Don't forget to Favorite and Review if you like; tell me your opinions and thoughts so far! I'd love to know… :D

- ACookieZ


	60. Chapter 60

**Angel vs. Demon**

Extra Chapter #3 – Doomed (Apollo's POV)

I maneuvered around the trees, bushels, and shrubs to get to our usual meeting spot. We had agreed to rendezvous in a small, sunny meadow that was miles away from our clans and home. The hideout was hidden extremely well; we had made sure of it. It would be very difficult for anyone else to get here.

The thought of hiking here and back over and over again just for one meeting sounded depressing, but I regretted not one moment of it. If I could meet her – no matter how seldom – I would climb over mountains, swim across oceans, and walk for miles and miles. It wasn't her I was sick of; it was all the other harbingers and vampires that judged us. I hated the fact that I had to look over my shoulders and check the area ever few minutes for spies or pursuers. It took hardly any effort, I knew, but just the thought of others catching us made me furious. Harbingers and vampires alike – they were both so prejudiced and obstinate in their beliefs.

I began to recognize the clearing up ahead, hidden behind the unkempt trees and bushes. My breathing quickened in excitement, and I rushed forward for the last couple of meters and burst into the clearing.

She was already there. My beautiful goddess Claudia stood there in the middle of the clearing with her back towards me as her perfect face rose up to look at the sky. Even with her half of her hair tied up in a large, round bun on the back of her head, her beautiful long hair still cascaded down her back. Her hair was pale and her skin was fair (like most vampires of her kind), but Claudia was special; she had this strange, enticing fuchsia hue to her hair, and – even though I couldn't see her eyes just then – I knew by heart that her eyes were a delicate violet. Seeing her beautiful figure, I couldn't help but smile. She really was my everything; she was the love of my life.

I could tell that she sensed I was here already, but she didn't turn around. I could almost see her teasing smile as her arms slowly rose from her sides. Grinning widely, I silently strode towards her and wrapped my arms around her waist from behind.

"Hello, my goddess," I whispered, smiling next to her ear.

I felt Claudia clutch at my arms. Her soft, delicate fingers stroked my hands. "It sure took you long enough to get here! I've missed you, Apollo… it's been such a long time since our last meeting."

"I've missed you too, Claudia," I answered, closing my eyes. I soaked in this moment, simply appreciating the fact that I had her in my arms.

It was horrible, absolutely horrible that our clans wanted to take this – our happiness, our love – away from us. They could never succeed, that much was for sure, but if they found out about our relationship then we'd be executed. Or worse, they'd kill Claudia and leave me alive to suffer and wallow in my misery for all of eternity. The Harbinger Elders would never forgive us or overlook the issue… and neither will the Elders of Claudia's clan. I knew this for a fact. Vampires (powerful, "demonic" creatures) and harbingers ("holy", prevailing creatures created by angels) just didn't mix. Only a delicate treaty stopped the two kinds from going at each other's throats.

"What are you thinking about?" Claudia asked gently, turning around to look at my face. Her beautiful violet eyes stared right into my soul, and I couldn't help but hold her tighter and closer against me.

"Nothing of importance," I lied, not wanting to ruin our moment together. We so rarely got to see each other; I didn't want her to leave worried or bothered.

She reached up a dainty little finger and ran it down the bridge of my nose. "You can't lie to me, Apollo. I know that something's wrong. Won't you tell me?"

I sighed. Claudia knew me too well; she cared too much for me. When she was with me, she was so gentle and understanding.

"I was just thinking about our situation, and our future." I replied. "That is all."

Claudia smiled brightly at me. I remember the first time I had seen her; I had thought she was proud and conceited, albeit beautiful and elegant. Before I could even comprehend anything, she already had me wrapped tightly around her finger. As stubborn as I was, it took me quite a long time to admit that I was completely smitten with her. She, in turn, depended on me more than anyone else. I was her protector, her guardian angel.

"Don't you worry, Apollo. We've already exchanged Blood Rites, haven't we? Nothing can separate us." Claudia tilted her head to the side to reveal the faint little scar from the bite-mark I had made when we mated. It was illegal and against the clan's laws, but that little mark comforted me. I bent down and gently pecked it with my lips.

"And you, my love, have got a little bit of me in you," Claudia continued, smiling at me.

It was true. Claudia had injected some of her vampire blood into me a while back. I could only take in a little bit at a time, because demonic blood was poisonous and deadly to harbingers. If ingested in large amounts, it could be fatal. Even in smaller portions, though, vampire blood still hurt; it burned in my bloodstream like acid.

"You're right, Claudia," I replied, kissing her forehead. "I shouldn't worry. After all, we've-,"

Suddenly, a rustling noise was heard in the bushes. Both Claudia and I swiveled around in alarm.

"What was that?" she whispered, clutching at me anxiously.

"Hush," I said back, placing her behind me instinctively. I knelt down close to the ground and approached the bushes with caution. I prayed and hoped that it wasn't another harbinger or vampire… if they found out (about us, about our hiding place), we could be in serious trouble. I might never see Claudia again.

At the last moment, I rushed forward and tore up the bushels, trying to catch the spy off guard. I also knocked a nearby tree down in the process. To my horror, though, I saw a swift, dark figure disappear away from the clearing.

"Oh no," I whispered. My body felt like solid lead; my feet and heart were so heavy that I could not breathe. "Oh no…"

"Was that one of you, or someone from my clan?" Claudia asked, rushing up to me.

"It was Demetrius, I could tell," I replied, horrified. Demetrius was one of the harbinger guards… He usually didn't stray far from our land, though. For him to be this far from the clan location, he had to have been following us. I wondered with dread how much of our conversation he had heard.

"We'll have to hurry," Claudia said, her words precise and calm. When the situation arose, she could be quite the powerful vampiress/leader. "He had to have gone back to your clan to report this; if we catch him, we might still have a chance."

"You're right," I said. My mouth felt dry. Claudia was already on the move, though; I swiftly followed her lead. We sensed the air and located Demetrius' trail, and ran rapidly in that direction.

"I'm really sorry, Apollo, but I'll have to return to my clan first," Claudia said to me as we sprinted side by side. "I'll need to smooth things over with my father and the rest of the clan. If it's too late, and the situation gets worse, I'd like for them to not have to hunt me down and bring me home like a prisoner. I'd like to come clean with our relationship and convince them to accept it."

I swallowed the choking lump in my throat. Claudia's father was the leader of her clan, so she'll have a lot of talking and explaining to do once she got home. "Yes, alright, Claudia. I will try to stop Demetrius. Please be careful, though… I promise we'll see each other as soon as possible. Please stay safe!"

"I will, my love." She kissed me quickly on the lips before speeding away in the other direction.

Nothing held me back now. I ran full-pelt towards my clan location (which was where Demetrius had gone, no surprise there). By the time I had reached our fortress, I knew it was already too late. The gates had been opened, and the harbinger guards had already transformed, armed and ready. Deus, the Harbinger Clan Leader, was standing right in front of the gates. He was expecting me.

"Apollo," he said icily as I approached him warily. "Do you know what you have done?"

"I have done nothing wrong," I replied stiffly, trying not to tremble under the power of this ancient harbinger. "There is nothing I have to be ashamed of."

"Nothing to be ashamed of!" he cried in disbelief. "Demetrius had caught you red-handed in your act, and yet you are still in denial? You are in cahoots with someone of the vampire clan, Apollo. You have betrayed your clan!"

"I have not betrayed anyone!" I objected, feeling my anger rise. "Has Demetrius explained everything to you? I highly doubt that. I have done nothing wrong to my clan; I have not exchanged a single piece of information with anyone. What Demetrius saw there – back in the meadow – was a rendezvous with a lover… it was purely personal."

"Can you prove it to us?" Deus demanded, tilting his chin up in disdain. "Do you have concrete evidence that you are not a spy or a traitor? It is not that I doubt you, Apollo – you have served my clan well over the years. You were an honorable harbinger, and completed your protection duties with no fault. You have committed a great sin, however. A harbinger, in love with a vampire? How preposterous!"

I gritted my teeth in despair. I knew it; I had been waiting for that line to come. No matter how much I convinced the Clan Leader otherwise, he would not change his mind now.

"You should know better, Apollo," Deus continued sternly, looking at me as if I was no longer worthy. "Your family and friends are shocked at your behavior. It doesn't matter if you are a spy or not; you have made inappropriate connections with the other clan, and so you are a traitor. You leave us with no choice, Apollo. I will have to punish you."

Deus turned towards the guards on either side of him. "Bring him in, boys. We will have a proper congregation in the assembly hall."

Thus, I was marched inside and pushed through the doors of the grand assembly hall. It had pearly white pillars surrounding it, and the building itself was a rounded shape. I was shoved inside to find that most of the citizens of this town had already gathered inside of it; they were all staring at me in contempt with penetrating, acidic glares. I hadn't caught sight of my family or friends, though. They were probably disappointed and mourning for me somewhere in their homes.

Deus stood at the center of the hall on a platform, where everyone could see him. The guards had me chained in enchanted chains that prevented me from transforming into my true harbinger self, and I was pushed down to my knees on one of the aisles that led up to the podium. The guards had finally let go of me, but were standing uncomfortably close to me, one on each side.

"We are all gathered here today to discuss the corrupted act of harbinger Apollo. As I'm sure you've all heard by now, he was in cahoots with someone of the vampire clan." A shocked gasp rose up in the audience, and Deus continued: "It was a female, as well. They had been meeting in secret; this was not the first time they had convened."

Disapproving murmurs erupted in the crowd, and Deus had to wait for silence before continuing on.

"No matter how little harm Apollo thinks he had caused, he has still broken the law; he will need to be punished for his acts. The corresponding consequence to his behavior is a traditional beheading."

I closed my eyes warily in defeat. There was no way of getting out of this one. I would have no choice but to break the promise I had made Claudia; we would not be seeing each other anytime soon. Suddenly, I felt a stab of fear. If I was going to be executed, then what fate awaited Claudia? I could not bear to imagine what the vampires of her clan would do to her. At once, I began struggling against the barrier around my torso.

"Stop!" I cried, trying desperately to break free. "You cannot do this. I have caused no harm to anyone! You have to let me go… I have to see Claudia. I need to make sure she's safe…"

"She won't be!" someone from the back of the audience shouted. "Vampires issue worse punishments than us harbingers! She'll be dead before you!"

I felt such utter despair. I wondered if Claudia was feeling the same… no matter what, I had to go meet her. I physically needed to hold her in my arms.

"To the Pit!" Deus bellowed. Immediately, the two guards grabbed me by the tops of my arms and steered me out of the assembly hall. I knew what the Pit was for; everyone knew. It was where they carried out all the executions. Although it was private and no normal harbinger citizen had ever seen it with their eyes, it was rumored that there were dead bodies and dry skulls and skeletons piled up around the Pit. That area was close to the jail cells, where all the prisoners were held.

Before I knew it, they had my head locked securely on the iron execution platform. An enchanted, thin, sharp blade (fashioned out of harbinger claws) hung right above my neck. I knew that, inevitably, it would come down and chop my head in half. It was difficult to kill a harbinger; only another harbinger could complete the task. That was why I knew I had no chance of surviving, since all the executioner weapons here were fool-proof.

"Cut the rope!" Deus shouted. I squeezed my eyes tightly shut and waited for impact. All the while in my head, I thought of Claudia.

Excruciating pain flared up from my neck area. My eyes weren't open, but I could feel it; my head had been completely severed from my body. It was a weird, unusual feeling, to be disconnected from yourself. I didn't know how far my head had rolled away from my bloody body, but I could sense that it was not far. If my hands and arm could work, I could probably reach out and pull my head towards my body.

The pain was awful and agonizing, but it was not an instant death. I could not see, but I could still sense and hear my surroundings. I could tell when Deus and the guards left the Pit.

"What a horrible sight," I'd heard one guard said. His voice got smaller and fainter as he walked farther away. "I can see him twitching…"

"Leave it alone," Deus replied. "We have to wait a few hours for his blood to drain out. He is not dead yet, I can tell. You will come back later tonight to clean his body up…"

I began to feel heavy and hazy, but I still wasn't dead. Why wasn't I dead?! Without Claudia, I didn't want to live anymore; my life would have no purpose, no meaning. Instead of blacking out and going numb, I felt like I was gaining control of my body. I was surprised and shocked as I felt my head roll back onto my shoulders; the flesh of my neck reattached itself to the base of my head. I felt every vein, artery, muscle, and bone come together piece by piece during the healing. Pretty soon, my eyes were open and I was blinking down at my healed, functioning body.

"What is this?" I said aloud to no one in particular. I felt the expression of disbelief on my face as I stood up and patted myself down. There was plenty of my blood splattered around the Pit, I'd realized; some where even dripping off from the execution blade. I comprehended that it was probably the vampire blood mixed in with my harbinger blood that allowed me to survive this; the two different elements combined together to form something imperishable. Maybe that was one of the reasons why the harbingers and vampire didn't want us to mix… whatever. That didn't matter, now; what mattered was that I was mended. I was alive and well, and I could go find Claudia!

Almost all the guards had left the Pit; the few that were guarding the entrance were easy to deal with. I had the element of surprise on my side, and I overpowered them with no trouble. Walking on, I made sure that the coast was clear before I sped away from our town. I knew it was unsafe for me if I lingered; no matter how much I wanted to see my friends and family and give them a proper explanation, I had to leave. My heart felt heavy as I raced towards the vampires' land.

A few minutes later, I had arrived at the border of their territory. I knew better than to go straight in… they would never let me come out alive. I had to sneak in, no matter how strong their defenses were. Taking a deep breath, I crept along the edges of the border and verified their strength. I found out that the weakest area (with the least defenses) was close to the cliffs. As far as I saw, there was hardly anyone there.

Just as I was entering through the forest, I saw a figure standing near the edge of the cliff. I halted in my steps immediately. I could tell that it was a vampire, someone from Claudia's clan. The clouds that covered the sun made it harder to see, and it was still too far away for me to tell clearly, but I knew it was a woman.

Suddenly, the sky cleared; the stray clouds rolled away from the sun, and bright rays shone down on the cliffs. My breath got caught in my throat, and it felt so constricted that I couldn't breathe.

"Claudia…" I whispered, aghast.

There she was, just standing there at the edge of the cliff. It was impossible to mistake her long, strange fuchsia-hued hair, and her delicate frame. That was her. But what was she doing there so close to the edge of the cliff…? Suddenly, with a stab of realization, I understood that Claudia's clan must have sent her there to her death. There were plenty of jagged-edged rocks far down below the cliff; if she dropped from that height, the momentum, speed, and impact could kill even a vampire.

My hand reached out in front of me uselessly, and just as I was about to open my mouth and scream her name, I saw Claudia hop off the edge and plummet to her death. My heart stopped; I could not breathe, could not think, could not move.

I had to go confirm it, though. My sluggish legs dragged across the ground towards the cliff, and as I fearfully peeked over the edge, I saw the image that would be burned in my mind forever. I felt such misery, such desolation. This was impossible! She was gone… gone forever.

Suddenly, the despair within me was replaced with rage. I no longer felt anguished; I wanted to tear up the vampire clan and murder each one of them. It was all because of them! They had killed Claudia in this way. If they had been more tolerant and accepting, my beloved would still be alive… I doubted they even listened to her pleas and explanations. I was lucky enough to survive the execution, but Claudia had not… and so now, I was no longer fortunate.

I felt the anger build up in me. I had to do it; I had to get revenge for her. She couldn't have died in vain – she was innocent! Claudia was the sweetest, captivating, most intelligent woman I ever knew. I had to avenge her death.

I no longer cared about my safety or my health… I transformed into my true harbinger form as I raced towards her clan's central campus, my vision blurred with rage. I felt different, though, after my transformation… I felt the vampire qualities within me being displayed on the outside. It must have added more power to my existing qualities (which was a good thing), but at that moment, it caused me only more grief. Why should I be allowed to gain more power when Claudia was no longer living? With sorrowful howls and intimidating roars, I tore up the vampire town and caused as much ruckus as I could. I wanted to make my way to the headquarters of the vampire clan, where the Elder or the Clan Leader lived. I wanted to find them and whoever was held responsible for Claudia's death, and tear them apart limb by limb.

I just let my inner beast loose, then. I no longer knew what I was doing… I only vaguely remember myself beating vampires senseless, and setting fire to many of their houses. I had noted, however, that no matter what attacks the vampires used on me, I was unhurt and unwounded. None of them somehow managed to kill me. I took it as a blessing; using my harbinger powers, I drowned as many vampires as I could. I didn't know how many, and I didn't bother counting. All I knew was that I had to find the bastard who forced Claudia to jump to her death.

"STOP!" someone bellowed from in front of me. I felt waves of power rolling off of this man, and by some strange spell or enchantment, he had me listening to his order. I felt myself being calmed down against my will as I shrank back down into my humanoid form.

"Just what do you think you are doing?!" the man demanded, supporting one of his wounded men. "Have you come to sabotage my village?"

Looking around me, I realized that I had destroyed almost a quarter of their entire town. There was still more land to cover, yes, but I no longer had any reason to obliterate any more. I had finally found who I was looking for. I opened my bleary eyes to stare at the powerful vampire in front of me. I could immediately tell that he was the Clan Leader; there was no one with an aura as powerful as him. He also looked strikingly similar to Claudia. I knew at once that I had found her father.

"How could you?" I croaked, my body tired and sore. I had definitely used up too much of my energy. "How could you just… let her die?"

The Clan Leader immediately knew who I was talking about.

"No such thing!" he cried, stern and angry. "She broke the law, yes, but I wouldn't just allow my daughter to be executed. She's in confinement at the time being, on the other side of the village. She will never be allowed to leave this town."

My mind spun around in circles, and I felt dazed and befuddled. "But I clearly saw her – didn't she-?"

"Sir!" someone shouted from far away. I turned my head around to see a uniformed vampire (who looked to be one of the Leader's men) run towards Claudia's father. "Sir, I have horrible news. It's about Claudia…"

"What about her?" he demanded, looking alarmed. "Has something happened?"

"She… well, she's gone from her room, sir. It seems she has escaped." The vampire took a piece of parchment paper out from his pocket and delivered it to the Clan Leader. "Sir, we searched her room and found this on top of her table."

Forgetting that I was there for a moment (and the fact that I had almost destroyed half of his village), the powerful vampire snatched the parchment towards him and scanned over it rapidly.

"Oh no," he muttered, closing his eyes warily. A few seconds later, he snapped them back open, and turned to glare at me. He tossed the parchment paper over towards me, and it landed near my feet.

"I hope that answers your question, harbinger," he snapped, breathing heavily. "You said that I had let her die? Well, read it for yourself."

It was a letter from Claudia, addressed to whoever found her writing. She had somehow gotten someone to deliver information to her, and had heard about my execution. She wrote that she no longer wanted to live anymore, and that she was going to come meet me… in the afterlife. She had committed suicide.

I collapsed onto my knees, stunned, and the letter dropped out of my hands. It floated gently down until it touched the ground, but I only saw it out of the corners of my eyes; I was staring straight ahead, unseeing and unblinking.

"I would have you killed here on the spot, harbinger, for what you have done," the Clan Leader said to me, "but from what I had seen, you cannot be slain by normal means. I doubt you could never be physically harmed, at all. So I shall leave you alive – that is the best punishment. You have been evicted from your clan; you are a nomad – a wanderer – and can no longer return to the life you once knew. And with my daughter dead, you will be left here alone to torment yourself… for all of eternity. You have nowhere to go, no place to be, and no one to be with. I feel like that is the best punishment for you."

My head dropped down into my hands, and I tore at my hair in frustration. The vampire was right… I knew he was right. But that didn't stop me from trying to win my life back. I had to do something – anything – to set things right. I even had a crazy thought just then to bring Claudia back from the dead.

Without even a farewell or an apology, I sped away from the vampires' territory. They didn't need me there; nobody needed me at the moment. I had to make sure everything was alright, though. I raced back to my own clan, hoping to check up on everyone. I knew better than to return; I could only stand at the edge of the borders and peek in to gather the information I needed.

The harbinger clan was in a state of absolute chaos! There were harbingers, fully-transformed and armed, spewing fire and water everywhere inside the village. Many of the Clan Leader's soldiers were fighting their own citizens, and there were sounds of children screaming, women crying, and angry shouts. Everyone had turned on each other.

"No…" I whispered, aghast. I felt so absolutely horrified that this had happened. Although members of my own clan had wanted me dead only a few moments before, I did not want this fate to fall on them.

"Someone let him escape!" one of the soldiers shouted above all the commotion. "He's still alive!"

"It's not one of us!" one of the harbingers cried. "Please, stop, let my child go!"

"One of you here is a traitor!" another armed harbinger hollered. "You aided in the escape of a law-breaker! Everyone is a suspect!"

More wails and screams were heard, and I spun around and sped out of there. I could take no more of it – it was just too painful for me, knowing I had caused all this. Very indirectly, but I had caused it all the same. Going back there and trying to sort things out would definitely make everything a thousand times worse…

Claudia's father was right. I had nowhere to go.

* * *

><p>It had been several months since that hectic incident. I was still a nomad, a wanderer, but I had changed since that day. I had become more knowledgeable, more aware of my situation.<p>

I had gone back to visit my clan a few days after the ruckus. I'd found dead bodies lying everywhere and houses smoking from all the fire and water clashing together; there was not a single soul in sight. Basically, the entire town was in ruins.

I never saw another harbinger after that. It took me a few weeks to realize that I might have caused my entire species to become extinct.

Once I'd grasped that fact and wrapped my head around Claudia's death, I found no reason for living anymore. I had tried to kill myself, multiple times already. There was the starving, the drowning, the puncturing, and many other different attempts – I had tried almost everything I'd thought of. Nothing seemed to be able to kill me. The "blessing" that I had thought it was when I was fighting off the vampires in their village now seemed to me like a curse, something hauntingly evil that I'd never get rid of.

I had completely begun to appreciate the true profundity of the vampire Clan Leader's words. It had finally hit me – he had been right, as I'd finally understood. After trying many times to kill myself and not succeeding, I suddenly realized that I would have to stay like this forever…

I was doomed to wander around the face of Earth for all of eternity.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong>

Hey guys! Thanks for reading :)

This chapter was extra-long... hopefully you sat through it well, haha xP

It was depressing though, wasn't it? :( I realize that most of my Extra-Chapters have been extremely depressing POV's of different characters x( I promise that'll change, though! If you stick to the end, then there's an awesome, NOT-depressing chapter. Leave a comment to let me know how you like it so far! :D Hopefully you'll like the next chapter too~

- ACookieZ


	61. Chapter 61

**Angel vs. Demon**

Extra Chapter #4 - Feared Yet Respected (Kiseki's POV)

I heard someone knocking on my door. Groaning silently, I slapped the pillow over my face and rolled over, hoping whoever it was could just go away.

Was it another day already? Another damn day. I honestly couldn't tell the difference between one and another. Today was going to be the same day as yesterday, and then tomorrow would be the same day as today. Nothing ever changed in my stupid life.

As if oblivious to my sufferings, the birds joyfully chirped outside of my window. That was the same, too. They did that every morning. Except, unlike normal teenagers, I didn't wake up to their "beautiful singing" each morning; I didn't even have an alarm clock (I wasn't allowed one, in case I set it for the wrong time and it disrupted my consistent, fixed lifestyle). I always woke up to the insistent knocking outside my door. Every damn morning.

"Young Master?" the timid female voice asked. "Young Master, are you awake? Please wake up… it's time to get out of bed. Your father is finally home from business this morning, and he wishes to have breakfast with you."

"I get it," I snapped grouchily, sitting up in bed. "I'll be downstairs in a few minutes."

Then, without even asking for permission, the stupid maid opened the door to my room and invited herself in. She wheeled some sort of cart inside, too. I was use to it, though; I knew what was inside.

"Here are the clothes for today," she said, getting a pile of neatly-folded clothing out from the cart. "Please change into them, Young Master."

It was the typical routine. I accepted the clothes from her, and had to change behind a curtain with the maid still in the room. It was part of the rules, though. When I was younger, I couldn't put on the overly-complicated clothing properly (who knew suits and ties could be so damn difficult?), and the maids had to help me. Now that I was older, I could change by myself… I only had to show the maid my outfit after I was done, so she could adjust it accordingly. At least that was one good thing about each passing day; I could do more things for myself. I didn't need help from others anymore… I loved the feeling of independence.

A bad thing about getting older, though, was the stupid maids and servants. Many of the younger ones had started to peek through the cracks of the curtains at me while I was changing for the past few months (the perverts), and I had resorted to holding the curtains tightly closed with one hand while pulling my pants up. I couldn't do anything about changing my shirt, though… I had to grit my teeth and bear it while they moaned and sighed about my chest and abs. It disgusted me to no end.

"How is it?" I asked in a monotone voice, planting myself in front of her.

"It looks wonderful, Young Master," she answered automatically, as expected. She fussed around me and brushed invisible dust off of my shoulders and patted down my sleeves. "Now you're ready to go downstairs for breakfast."

I sighed as I headed down the long, twisting stairs of the household. I knew I should appreciate what I had, and I knew I had plenty, but it all meant nothing to me. Those things were all materials, things that could be stolen, traded, broken, or destroyed. I'd grown up in this hellhole with nothing but strangers (maids and servants) taking care of me, and they hadn't shown me an ounce of affection or appreciation. They were with me simply because it was their job; we had money, and they needed it, so they stayed. It was that simple.

In fact, sometimes I got the feeling that the maids, butlers, and servants were scared of me. I had no reason why; there were hundreds of them and only one of me. If they wanted to, they could overpower me in a second. I faintly remember this scene from when I was younger…

My father were never home, and my mother had died when I was very young, so I was always being taken care of by the nannies and maids. One night, when I was seven years old, I got sick of playing with them; I felt lonely (as ironic as it seemed, being surrounded by so many people), and I had cried for my parents. I wanted them home with me; I had wanted to see them.

Smiling, I recall the maids not having clue as to what to do. They knew they couldn't call my father back from his "important job", as they weren't allowed to bother him during these times. The servants had tried everything they could; they shoved toys at me, placed bowls and bowls of candies and treats in front of my face, and even showed me pictures of my parents… all in hopes of calming me down. It only made it worse, though; I began crying harder at the sight of my parents in the photographs. Finally, the Head Maid couldn't take it anymore; she told me – a seven-year-old kid – to firmly shut up.

"Don't be so selfish!" she had shouted at me. I remember how scary she seemed when she loomed and towered over my younger self like a giant. "Your father is busy; he doesn't want to speak to you! And why bother calling for your mother? She's never going to come anyway - stop pretending like she's still alive. Now will you stop being a bother and go to sleep?"

Ever since that night, I had hated the servants. I refused to play with them, and – as best as I could – I stopped talking to them. I hid myself in places where they wouldn't find me. As a result, they despised me even more, saying that I was always so difficult and problematic. They were scared of me, annoyed with me, but they were powerless against me. They wouldn't be able to do anything to me, since I was what they called "the Young Master".

That title made me sick, even back when I was younger. Now that I was a teenager, I hardened myself and became cold and aloof, so everyone would stop bothering me. It worked, as I thought it would; they tried to have as little to do with me as possible. In front of my face, they were cordial and polite, always greeting me as "Young Master". I had become feared in the household; I was the disdainful, difficult guy they had to treat with respect. It was a wholly different thing behind my back, though. I knew this, and I kept it in my mind at all times when I spoke to the servants.

"This way, Young Master," a butler said, leading me into the dining room. I scoffed internally. They always acted like I didn't know my way around my own house! How ridiculous. Most of these butlers and maids – many of them – were not needed around, in my opinion. One lone vampire could dust this entire mansion within an hour if he/she really tried; I didn't see what the uses of so many servants were. Bottom line, I supposed, it was all just about power. And I wasn't interested in that, unlike my father.

"Good morning, son," my father greeted me. He sat at the head of the table, on the tall mahogany armchair that only he was allowed to sit in. "How have you been since the last time I saw you?"

I slid into the chair opposite him (way down on the other end of the table) before replying. My answer came automatically, in a monotone voice. "I've been well, Father. Everything's still the usual."

Father nodded. "That's good, that's good…" He cut and bit into a piece of his breakfast before continuing. "Hmm, I've got some news to tell you, son. I hope you'd concur with the decision I'd made for you."

_When have I not?_ I asked in my mind bitterly. _You've always made all the decisions for me… I have no say in this, have I?_

My dad shot me a suspicious stare from across the table, as if he knew what I was thinking about. He truly scared me sometimes, I'd admit; he just seemed so powerful, omnipotent, and all-knowing. Hardly anyone I knew dared to mess with him.

"You're 17 this year, aren't you?" my dad asked, chewing thoughtfully. I glared at him apprehensively… just what was he thinking about? I had a moment of suspicion. Was he going to push me into an arranged marriage or something?

"You'll be going into your senior year in high school," he continued. "Well… how did you like your old school, son? How did you like your last school year?"

"It was okay," I mumbled, not sounding enthusiastic about it. "It was just like any other private school you sent me to."

It was true; people sucked up to me at first when they realized who I was (or rather, what my status was). The girls hit on me, and the guys tried to turn me into their "buddy" and use me for their own selfish purposes, and – once I'd rejected them all and pushed them away – they distanced themselves from me and hardly spoke to me. Yeah, it was usually like that at every school I went to. It was partly my fault, though; I was just the way I was, take it as you would. If you liked me, then fine; if you didn't like me, then too bad. Call me anti-social, if you will. I hardly had any close friends… I just didn't care much for those materialistic airheads who only cared about themselves.

"Is that so? Well, what do you think about a little change?"

"What do you mean?" I asked, hoping he'd cut to the chase. I hated it when he beat around the bush.

"I'm proposing an idea," he answered, folding his hands together. "I want you to switch to a new, different school for your upcoming school year."

"Again?" I asked in disbelief. I had been changed from school-to-school more times than one could count, and my father still wanted me to go to yet another different school?

"It's your senior year, Kiseki," Father answered, looking at me expectantly. "I feel that a change of atmosphere would be good for your graduating year. Besides, you didn't seem to enjoy your last school too much…"

"I never did," I mumbled under my breath. "It's the case with every school."

"What was that?" Father asked, raising his eyebrows dramatically. I didn't bother replying. Knowing him (and his perfect hearing), he had already known what I said. He was just daring me to repeat my comment, that was all.

"Back on the topic," he said, after taking a sip of blood from his glass cup. "You will be going to a boarding school this fall… the name's Yokai Academy. Have you heard of it?"

"Isn't that school the one that Moka goes to?" I asked in mild surprise.

"Ah, yes, it is. She has given some positive feedback on that school, so I believe that you will do well there. You might even make a few friends, I dare say," Father said, raising his eyebrows at me.

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. Moka was one of my nicer step-sisters (especially after she had her rosario attached), but I still didn't think I would mingle in with her people. I just hoped that the students at Yokai Academy were decent. As long as the females respected my personal space, I could deal.

"I know I haven't told you this in advance, but I wanted to deliver the news to you face-to-face, in person. You'll have a few weeks to pack, I'm sure that will be enough. I've left a brochure and some newspaper articles of the school with your butler, as well. Read it through before you start packing your bags, will you?"

"Yes, Father," I replied, focusing on my food. I really wasn't looking forward to this new school year, at all. Finishing my meal as quickly as possible, I excused myself and hurried back to my room. I tried to walk carefully and quietly on the way there so that no servants could bother me.

While I was making my way down the hall, though, I heard the gossiping voices of a handful of maids. I knew I should ignore them and continue on my way, but curiosity won over. I would've had to pass them to get up the stairs anyway, so I supposed that prolonging the encounter would have been useful.

"… heard him speak like that to his father?" one maid whispered, ending her sentence in a question. "How could he be so aloof? I mean, if I had the great Master as my father-,"

"I know what you mean…! Plus the Master had been away for so long, and he's finally back home from business. You'd think the cold unpleasant child would at least greet him properly, eh? But, as expected…"

I gritted my teeth silently and held my breath. I was used to this, to all their gossiping; it didn't bother me anymore. As hard as I tried not to, though, I still felt just the tiniest bit defensive. Did these maids really expect me to jump all over my dad when he came home, just like when I was little? There was already Kokoa and the rest of my step-sisters to do that; I doubted my father noticed if I just hung around in the background like usual. It wasn't that I didn't like my father or anything… I just didn't see any reason to please him, or anyone else in the household, in fact.

My mother had died when I was very young, and my father didn't show a hint of remorse or hurt at the funeral. Neither did any of the servants. My mother – she probably seemed like just another mistress to everyone else in the Shuzen household. I vividly remembered her coffin being lowered to the ground, and the expressions that were on everyone's faces… I had been the only one who wept at her funeral. I did not hate my father, the servants, or anyone else in particular, though; I just never felt too close with them. I simply didn't feel the need to suck up to them and behave like a "good little boy" when clearly they had never been pleased with me in the first place. This included my father, as well; this was why I was never too enthusiastic around him.

I shook my head helplessly, exhaling a big gust of air. There was nothing I could do now to change the situation, though. I doubted the servants or anyone else would actually feel positive, strong affection for me if I started being nicer to them. It was just too late for changes; they'd already had their emotions set about me, and vice versa.

"Hello, everyone," I said in my best chirpy, most innocent voice as I bypassed the maids huddled at the turn at the end of the hallway. "How are you all doing today?"

The maids swirled around to stare at me in shock and alarm. "Um, uh… hello, Young Master. Yes, yes, we're doing absolutely fine…!"

"That's wonderful," I said, forcing a smile as I turned away from them to continue up the stairs.

As soon as I reached to top of the stairs and my figure disappeared from their view completely, I heard the maids whisper among themselves: "Do you suppose he heard us…?"

I shook my head disgustedly as I shut the door to my room. Collapsing in a heap on my floor, I rested my head in my palms warily. I was so tired of this… so terribly sick of my life. Suddenly, the thought of a boarding school seemed very inviting to me just then. Surely there'd be others – someone, anyone – that didn't judge me and appreciated _me_, not just my status. I hardly ever prayed, but I prayed out loud just then…

"Please," I whispered with my eyes closed, feeling tired and wary. "Please just let there be someone out there – anyone – who will accept me for who I am…"

I sat on my floor in silence for some time after uttering those words, but I felt no subtle difference, no promising change. With a discouraged sigh, I got up and began packing my bags for school.

* * *

><p>"Hey, Bus Driver," I asked loudly from the back of the bus (which was where I sat), "when do you think we'd actually reach school?"<p>

"Don't be impatient, now," he answered leisurely, puffing on his cigar. The smoke rose and wafted towards the back; it was really bugging me. "We just have one more stop to make, and then we'd be heading straight to Yokai Academy. Oh hey, look, son… the last passengers are right here."

Suddenly, the bus screeched to a halt. Only after half a second's pause, the door creaked open. I held my breath in anticipation and waited for the new students to enter the door. I was expecting some hideous badly-disguised humanoid monster, but what had entered was an ordinary-looking girl. Some blond dude (probably her boyfriend) came in after her, carrying a ton of luggage.

I didn't know why, but I felt animosity towards the guy right off the bat. Something about him just sent up flaring red signals in my head. And the way that he walked and talked (and just behaved in general)… huh, I could tell that this dude thought he was the sh*t. He was probably very powerful, though (I could sense the latent power in him), and he was admittedly not bad-looking and was surprisingly polite. But I could see straight through him; this guy was a complete fake, a total phony. I smiled to myself as I saw how the stupid naïve girl that was with him was blushing and smiling all over. He probably had her under his spell already.

"Be safe!" Turning my head, I saw some middle-aged man shouting at the girl outside of the window. It was probably her dad or something, being insistent so early in the morning. My father, personally, would never have even gone outside with me to drop me off. I huffed in annoyance and sank down lower in my seat.

The girl was shouting goodbyes back to the man, and was saying something about her cat, but none of it was my business… so I tuned their conversation out. I didn't know how long I just sat there, staring out the window, but it must have been a few minutes. By the time I looked up, the girl and the guy were already seated and settled down. The girl began coughing, suddenly, and was struggling to stick her nose out the window.

Aha, so the smoke was bothering her as well. At least now I could finally say something to the bus driver; if I told him to stop while it was only me in the bus, I'd probably seem very rude. But now I had another person to back me up.

"Hey, bus driver." I called out, "Can you quit the smoking?"

The girl and the guy turned around to look at me, probably noticing me for the first time. The bus driver peeked at me through the rear-view mirror and said: "What's that, son?"

"I told you to stop smoking." I replied. Jeez, did I have to repeat it to him twice? He was like my father, asking me to say things over and over again to him when he could hear perfectly well. For emphasis, I added: "I can't stand the smell of smoke." I was sure the girl couldn't, either. We'd make the perfect team.

"I see…" the bus river said, chuckling. He got rid of his cigar. "But you know, son, nothing is going to be exactly as you like here… especially at Yokai Academy. Do you know what you are in for?"

"Of course," I replied. I'd read the brochures, the articles, and I'd heard about it from my father and my step-sister. It was just going to be another stifling, tiresome school year.

The girl and the guy began talking again, so – taking my cue – I turned my head to the side and stared out the window. They sure seemed chummy… I wondered how long it would be before the jerk dumped this girl and broke her heart. She didn't seem to suspect him of anything, at all. The girl also seemed a great deal weaker than him… I suspected that she was half-human or something, which made the situation worse for her; she wasn't going to survive the school year safely, that much was for sure. She seemed so happy, though… so innocent and sincere; obviously she was going to get hurt sooner or later. I briefly wondered who she was going to run to – who would protect her – once she did get hurt. Probably not me, though; I didn't mix with her type of people. She was someone I could never become.

Suddenly, I was snapped out of my thoughts.

"Do you want a cookie?" the girl asked tentatively, offering me a piece.

I just stared at her for a few seconds in shock. Did she just seriously offer me – a complete stranger, someone whom she didn't know – a freakin' cookie? Normal people wouldn't have done that. Normal people would've felt the hostility rolling off of me and left me alone… that was the way things usually went.

I waited for a few more seconds (just in case she changed her mind and took the goddamn cookie back), and then finally accepted it. She smiled – just what was she thinking? – and then began digging through her bag.

"Here… what's your name?" she asked, smiling at me again.

"Kiseki Shuzen," I answered automatically. I had to bite my tongue and tell to stop talking to her; for some weird reason, I felt compelled to answer this girl.

"I'm Ame Kanmuri. Why don't you… wipe your face with this?" she said, stifling another smile. She handed me a napkin. I quickly touched my chin, and realized that there were cookie crumbs stuck all over my face.

_Curse you, Kiseki,_I said to myself. _Way to be embarrassing…_

"Thank you," I muttered, avoiding eye contact with her. Typical strangers would've been laughing by now, or at least giving me disgusted glances. This girl made it seem like she handed out cookies and napkins on a regular basis.

"We're almost there," the bus driver announced from up ahead. "After we pass this tunnel… there's no turning back."

I didn't need to ready myself; I was already prepared. The trivial monsters that would come my way were no problem. I could deal with them, no sweat. I glanced at the girl ahead of me, though, and I saw her gulp nervously. This pitiful, fragile, naïve human girl was feeling scared. Again, I smiled wryly and wondered along the same lines as before…

Just how was she going to be able to survive at Yokai Academy? One look at the charming blond dude and I knew that he wasn't going to save her from harm. He probably wouldn't save anyone but himself.

Shaking my head, I pitied the poor "knight in shining armor" that was going to have to rescue the girl in the future. He would definitely have a lot to deal with.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong>

Hellooo again~! x)

I hope you enjoyed reading this chapter! It's probably one of my favorites, heheh. I really really REALLY suggest that you go back and read Chapter 3 after finishing this chapter, though, just to refresh your memory on what happened when Ame got on the Yokai Academy school bus. Then, you'd get AME'S POV aaand KISEKI'S POV~! It's good reference, and I'm sure you'd all appreciate this chapter more once you've understood both perspectives...

Alright, that's that then. The Extra Chapters are almost ending! xO Yeah, there's only gonna be about 1 (or 2) more chapters after this one... this is just a heads-up x)

- ACookieZ


	62. Chapter 62

**Angel vs. Demon**

Extra Chapter #5 – A Wish (Tsukune's POV)

**Quick Author's Note:**

Hey guys~! Sorry, I know I hardly ever put A/N's in the beginning, but I just wanted to let you all know that this Extra Chapter corresponds with Chapter 10. It's Tsukune's POV of what happened after they saw Garron's abilities to extract life forces, after they had left him and Ame on the way to their dorms. Like before, I highly suggest you read that chapter first before (or after) reading this one… it will refresh your memories and give you a better understanding of things.

Alright, I guess I'll see you in the A/N at the end of this chapter! Hopefully this will satisfy those of you who wanted an Extra Chapter that didn't involve the POV of OC's, heheh.

- ACookieZ

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><p>I couldn't exactly wrap my head around what I'd just witnessed.<p>

I mean, I'd seen different monsters transform almost everyday… and after seeing a vampire awaken from slumber a few years back, I doubted there would be anything more startling or stunning. No zombies, furry demons, or other scary monsters could affect me as much.

While I wasn't exactly wrong, I wasn't completely right either. Garron's power wasn't as magnificent as Moka's, but it was definitely more disturbing. It was almost similar to the mermaids' power, but… scarier.

Ame seemed to take it well, though. I didn't completely understand her, even though she was sort of human, like me. I liked to think that she viewed me as an older-human-brother amidst all the monsters and looked to me for guidance, but it seemed that she was used to being the one _giving_ guidance. I'd never thought that she'd be able to slap the squirrel away from Garron during his "demonstration", much less console him. It might be because she didn't fully understand the extent of his powers (with her being in the monster world for less than a year), but I knew for sure that other monsters wouldn't have been as understanding. She reminded me a little bit of myself when I first started here at Yokai Academy… everything fascinated her, and she viewed the monster world with a new perspective.

That was all good and well, but it still didn't ease the tension that filled the air. Kurumu, Mizore, and Yukari weren't there to witness Garron's display of power, and Kiseki and Kenta had left us already. That only left me, Moka, and Garron and Ame. We hadn't spoken a word to each other as the four of us walked back to our dorms.

Suddenly, I felt a gentle nudge against my arm. Looking to the side, I saw Moka biting her lip nervously. She looked at me, then eyed the rosario on her chest. With a sharp intake of breath, I realized that it was flashing dangerously… it was a sign. Inner Moka was definitely trying to communicate.

"Well, um, guys… We gotta leave now. You're dorms are not far from here, so we won't walk you back…" I looked at Garron and Ame, praying that they would leave first so I could talk to Moka in peace. There was much we needed to discuss.

Ame nodded, looking like she understood what I really meant. She smiled encouragingly at me, and said: "That's fine, you guys go ahead!"

Moka smiled gratefully, and with Ame's nodded approval, we left first and raced back to our dorms. We didn't make it all the way there, but as soon as we were alone and in the safety of some trees and bushes, Moka stopped me.

"What is it?" I asked her, feeling concerned. "Is the rosario acting up?"

"No," Moka replied, frowning, "It's just that Inner Moka wants to-,"

Suddenly, the rosario blinked to life. A black reptilian iris stared at us from the centre of Outer Moka's rosario bead.

"Listen up!" Inner Moka's voice growled, stronger than ever, "You've all seen Garron's little performance, haven't you?" Before either Outer Moka or I could answer, Inner Moka continued: "So have I. And you two need to know, I do not trust that guy at all."

"Yeah," I said, sighing, "we already figured that out for ourselves; Garron is more than suspicious. But he hasn't hurt anyone so far, and Ame seems to trust him."

"Ame?" Inner Moka scoffed, "That naïve little human girl? She's hopeless; she'll trust anyone. So I have to leave this up to you guys, you understand me? We won't act now, but once anything suspicious happens, you must attack without delay or hesitation. You have to be on your guards at all times."

"I understand your concern," Outer Moka said, "but Garron is Ame's friend – he's our friend. He trusts us, enough to reveal his secret. We can't just plot against him in this way!"

I could almost imagine Inner Moka rolling her eyes. If she were here, she probably would. "I'm not asking you two to plot his death or anything. Sure, he's totally fine; we can leave him be for now. I'm just telling you to watch your backs. Be cautious, you understand?"

"Yes, of course," I answered almost immediately. I trusted Inner Moka with my life; although she might toss it around and play with it a little bit, I knew she'd never do anything to hurt me outright.

I suddenly heard a gasp come from Outer Moka. Immediately, Inner Moka's eye blinked shut and the rosario returned back to normal.

"Tsukune!" Moka exclaimed, her eyes wide with terror, "Behind you…!"

I spun around, but not quick enough. Something heavy and hard slammed against my forehead, and I saw stars as I stumbled back. If I had been pure human and weaker than I was right then, I might have passed out.

Moka rushed up towards me. "Oh no, Tsukune, are you ok?"

I groaned as I massaged my sore head. It was going to leave quite an impressive bump later, I knew. I looked up blearily at my attacker. "Who…?"

"Must… kill…" a male voice said. I squinted at the tiny figure before me, and realized that it was a boy… a child not even 15 years old. He looked to be 13 or 14, around Kenta's age. He moved really slowly and uncoordinatedly, though, almost like a zombie. But he didn't seem to be undead or anything. It was more like watching a puppeteer controlling a puppet to walk.

"Stop!" Moka cried, trying to communicate with the boy. "What are you doing?!"

"… kill… have to… humans… die…"

"What?" I asked, backing away from the little guy. I was in no hurry to attack a young boy; I wasn't going to tap into my powers to defeat him just then. I had to figure out who (or what) he was and why he was here. Besides the fact that he seemed to want to kill humans.

Moka glowered at the little boy in distrust. "I sense something strange about him, Tsukune. He's not a monster… he seems more human than demon."

"Then why would he want to kill humans?" I demanded as I backed even farther away from the persistent boy who carried a heavy iron pole. "If you said he's a human, he shouldn't be doing this to us…"

"Hold on, Tsukune," Moka said, stretching an arm out to stop me from moving further away. "I have a plan… let's split up."

"What?" I squeaked, "Will you be ok? What if he comes after you…? Maybe I should remove the rosario, just to be sure…"

"Relax, Tsukune," Moka said gently, smiling at me with confidence. "This isn't anything serious; he's not a major enemy. Don't you trust me? Do you really need Inner Moka to fight every time there's an opponent?"

I opened my mouth, but no words came out. I realized how it must have seemed to Outer Moka… we really did seem to rely on Inner Moka too much. But that didn't mean I didn't need Outer Moka! I wouldn't be able to live with myself with either of them gone…

"I trust you," I said simply, "Let's do this."

Moka nodded, and then slowly ran off in one direction. She probably knew that the boy wasn't going to come running after her; he was much too sluggish. I headed in the other direction, away from Moka.

While this little guy was coming towards both of us before, he changed directions and headed after me instead. He raised his pole high over his head and growled. I could see how his fragile arms quivered as he held the weapon above his head, though… his skin was flawed and soft-looking, just like a human's. Moka was right… this boy definitely wasn't a full monster. But he wasn't a human, either…

Just what was he?

Suddenly, with surprising force, the little boy lunged at me and grabbed my blazer. Damn, I was so preoccupied with thinking that I hadn't noticed how close he'd gotten. I pushed at his arm and shoulders to stop him from attacking me (the vicious little guy was trying to bite my face!) and realized that his skin was surprisingly cold and stiff.

With a grunt, I shoved the boy away from my body. He stumbled back and spun around, looking disoriented, and with shock, I realized that something was wiggling out of his back. No, it wasn't something – it was a whole ton of them! Hundreds of maggots wiggled and crawled out of the wound on the boy's lower back. I felt like I was going to be sick. This guy should be dead already.

"As I thought!" Moka cried, clapping her hands together. "He's only going after you! That was why he hit you over the head before, and not me. He's only going after humans, like he said!"

"B-But I'm not completely human anymore," I complained, backing away from the approaching boy.

"He probably still senses the human in you," Moka answered, coming towards me. "He knows who you were. I think I might have a theory… this poor boy might be possessed."

"Possessed?" I gasped, shocked still.

"Yeah," Moka replied. "Look at his eyes – see how glassy and empty they are? There's no soul or feeling in them. Even his movements seem forced and controlled! Someone – or something – is making him go after humans. I think he might be human himself, though, like I said before… no offence, Tsukune, but humans are really easy to overpower."

"No need to remind me," I grumbled, feeling slightly upset. "Well, so how do we fix this? How do we turn him back to normal?" I doubted we could, though; this boy was already supposed to be dead. We just needed to help him rest in peace.

"Ugh, I wish Yukari was here – I don't remember all the details to possession. I do know that there are two main types, though… the physical possession and the mental possession."

We were almost backed towards central campus. Any further and someone would've noticed this guy and went after him, which was not good considering the state he was in. I didn't think we had time for Moka's lecture.

"The mental type is when someone with stronger power controls the mind of another creature," Moka said quickly, also realizing the situation, "and the physical type is when an actual ghost or spirit lodges itself in a body. Most of the time it's a weak body close to dying, or else the entrance would be too difficult."

"Well, which one is this?" I asked nervously, looking around us. We had to deal with this little boy before crowds appeared.

"The boy's dead already," Moka said quietly, "so it can't be mental possession. Some spirit must have gone into his body and animated it again. Dammit, I wish that Ame was here so she could use her angelic powers to lure the spirit out of his body and help him rest in peace, but…"

"There's got to be another way," I said. There had to be.

"We can force it out," Moka said uncertainly, biting her lip. "If there's another creature of higher power, then the spirit – the weaker one – will leave its host." Moka smiled wryly, then sighed. "I guess we do need Inner Moka here after all."

I didn't understand Moka sometimes… she got along great with Inner Moka (the two were like sisters), but sometimes I felt that there was a slight rivalry going on between them. One couldn't survive without the other, but both of them wanted to be able to contribute something. I understood that, but it still made no sense to me. I (along with my other friends) loved them both, so much, so I didn't really understand the problem there.

With a gentle smile towards Outer Moka, I pulled her rosario off. Immediately afterwards, bright crimson light flashed across the campus, and both the possessed boy and I were blinded for a moment. Inner Moka appeared, as confident as ever.

"You," she said aloud, approaching the disoriented boy. "Get out of that body, NOW."

For a moment, I didn't know who she was talking to, but I realized that it must have been the spirit she was ordering around. It made the most sense.

The boy whimpered, cowering under Moka's bright, powerful aura, but his voice said otherwise.

"Never!" he hissed. The voice didn't sound like a boy's at all; it was raspy and wispy at the same time, almost like another person was speaking from the boy's throat. "Humans must die… they must die! This human died – he was on the side of the road, where I found him." Suddenly, hissy laughter came out from the boy's throat. "Isn't that funny? I made him kill his own kind! But they all die… they must. Humans killed me, centuries ago, and now I must return their 'favor'. It pains me to be trapped in the human's body, but I sensed another human nearby – I had to kill it."

The boy's glassy, empty eyes were suddenly fixated towards me. "I had to kill _you_."

"It is you who shall perish," Inner Moka growled. She reached for the boy's shirt and pulled him up by his collar. The poor possessed child was dangling from Moka's grasp.

It was hard to overlook Moka's glowing red aura of power, and I saw some of it spread towards and seep into the boy. It trailed from Moka's arm to his torso like a forest fire, and spread across the rest of his body. Instead of gaining Moka's power, the boy began screaming and thrashing around. I winced and hoped he wasn't hurt… I hoped that people didn't think we were harassing this poor kid.

With a whoosh, the spirit was forced out of the boy's body. It's eyes and mouth were gaping black holes, and it wailed as it sailed up into the sky and vaporized. The boy, now officially dead once more, slumped against Moka's arm. I saw the maggots stretching and inching towards Inner Moka.

She immediately dropped the dead body. Brushing off the maggots, she scowled. "Ugh, gross things, maggots are…"

I offered Inner Moka an encouraging smile as I approached her. We would inform the staff of the boy's body later, once we got the chance. For now, though…

"Well, Tsukune?" Inner Moka asked, raising a perfect eyebrow. "What are you waiting for? Aren't you going to put that rosario back on?"

I hesitated, then cleared my throat. I really needed to tell her something.

"I've mentioned this to Outer Moka before," I said nervously under the scrutiny of Inner Moka's gaze, "but since you're sealed away in the rosario most of the time, I don't know if you've heard. I'm not even sure if you'll think it's a good idea, but… there's this dream I've always had – an aspiration and goal I want to achieve."

Inner Moka's eyes softened a fraction. "Go on, tell me."

I laughed sheepishly. "It might sound impossible and difficult, but it's a dream I'm sure we all share. Even you, Inner Moka. I just wish that we could help all the humans and monsters that are suffering in the world… that way we could all keep the peace between us. The spirit took over the boy's body because he was wronged by humans, and the humans think that the monsters are out to kill them. It's a never-ending cycle of mistrust and suspicion. I'd really like to create a foundation – an organization, maybe – that would help all this cause. You know, fix the mistakes that the monsters and humans made, patch up the problems, and calm the imminent threats that both kinds are so afraid of."

Inner Moka was thoughtful for a moment. "That's a simple goal, Tsukune, but a big one. Almost all of us wish for peace and comfort, but do we get it? Rarely. You'll have to work really hard to achieve that goal, Tsukune."

"I know," I said, sighing. "But look at the Headmaster. He wishes for this too, peace between the two kinds. And that's how this school started; he'd founded this academy based on that one wish. And I'd like to do something similar."

"Someday, you will." Inner Moka took the rosario from me, smiling. "I'm sure of it. As long as you don't give up, that is…"

With those parting words, she placed the rosario back onto her choker. Immediately, Moka's silver hair faded away, and Outer Moka collapsed into my arms.

I smiled. I had the approval of Inner Moka now… and all the support of my friends. I was sure now that this was what I wanted, what I hoped to achieve.

Someday I'd make that wish come true.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong>

Hey! :D Yeah, cheesy ending, I know~ xP

I said before that I didn't want to decide the fate for the original Rosario Vampire characters (it's not my job to do that), but some of you have been wondering about them that I had to include something (so I hope you're satisfied -.-). I thought it over, and figured that this was the best aspiration for Tsukune. It'll tie into the manga story, and into the last chapter.

Speaking of the last chapter… yes, there will only be one more to go. And then this story will officially end! Dx

As always, I hope this chapter was enjoyable for you. Let me know :) And hopefully, you'll stick around for the last Extra Chapter… the _ending_ to it all. Hahaha look at me, I'm being melodramatic… ;P

- ACookieZ


	63. Chapter 63

**Angel vs. Demon**

Extra Chapter #6 – She's the One (Kiseki's POV)

**Author's Note:**

Hello again~! Yeah, it's another A/N in the beginning, but I thought this chapter might be kinda confusing (because it's different from the rest of the Extra Chapters) so I just wanted to let you all know…

This chapter, in Kiseki's POV, is not another story from his past or anything like that. It actually takes place after Ame moves in with Moka, Kenta, and Kiseki. This chapter contains lots of romantic/lovey-dovey scenes; it's for all you people out there who demanded more AmexKiseki. Hopefully this'll satisfy you~ Alright, now that you know, you can continue on with the story! I'll talk to you again after you've finished reading this chapter. :)

- ACookieZ

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><p>Just like every other morning, I heard the insistent knocking on my bedroom door.<p>

"Good morning, Master," the maid's voice greeted me from outside of my door. "Please wake up… All your friends are already awake and waiting for you!"

I grumbled and rolled over on my bed. She didn't need to remind me; it had almost been 4 years since Ame and Kenta first moved in with us. Kenta was finishing his studies at a nearby academy for animal-demons, and he seemed to be fitting in well and was fairly content.

Ame found something to do as well, even though I absolutely despised the idea of her being away from me for any length of time (even though I got to see her every day after her work and on the weekends). She had applied for and gotten a job as a teacher at a nearby school for young monsters, children from the ages of 6 to 14. Ame got along terrifically with her students, and the monsters at that school loved her. The children were all she would talk about, even when she arrived back home. My pride wouldn't let me admit it to her outright, but I was irked by the fact that I had to share my beloved Ame with so many other monsters (even if they were merely children).

As for myself, I had basically taken over a part of my father's estate and inherited the title of "Master of the House". And as the Master of the house, I was expected to get up bright and early to entertain my roommates and eat breakfast with them. I didn't really mind (since I got to see Ame every morning at breakfast), but as much as I wanted to get up and start the day off with seeing my adorable Ame's face, I really didn't feel like springing up just then. The maids ruined my morning mood completely… and – just to piss them off – I liked to lie in bed for a little longer than they told me to.

The knocking, however, persisted. It got increasingly louder and firmer.

"Please, Master, breakfast is almost ready!"

I closed my eyes, held my breath, and stayed silent. I knew they couldn't come in without my permission… it was against the house rules. And I could tell specifically – just from her voice – that the maid that was speaking to me that morning was one of the younger, more perverted maids. Thank God they didn't have to help me dress anymore. I was older, wiser, and more than capable of managing my own outfits. And, frankly, I was getting quite sick of the maids peeping at me while I changed.

This maid's name was Phoebe, if I recalled correctly. She wasn't one of the new maids; I had caught her on more than one occasion peeking at me from behind my changing curtains. Even though it happened so many years ago (back when I was still a teenager), I still decided to irritate her for a little longer, just to make things even between us.

Finally, I noticed that she had stopped knocking on my door. Another female voice spoke, much to my surprise.

"Here, Phoebe, let me. He can be so stubborn sometimes, I'm sorry."

My ears perked up. It was Ame speaking; she was outside my door!

"Are you sure, Miss Kanmuri?" Phoebe asked, her voice sounding funny. She almost made it sound like she didn't want Ame in my room. "The Master could still be sleeping…"

"Oh, he's not, trust me." Ame replied. I smiled; she knew me too well. Hmm, so she was going to come in and deal with me this morning? I could handle that. Maybe I could even have some fun with this…

Ame opened the door to my room without knocking, and I heard her gentle footsteps approaching my closet. She was humming as she rummaged through my clothes, probably picking out the ones she thought I might need today. She always checked the weather; I never did. That was one of the reasons why she always kept track of what I wore, in case the weather was bad or something. Had it been any other reason, I would never have allowed her anywhere near my clothes. It irritated me to the extreme when women (like the maids) decided on what I should wear. Ame was fine, though; she wasn't like most women. I waited till she arrived near my bed before I rolled over onto my back, groaning miserably.

"Oh, c'mon, Kiseki… don't be such a big baby." Ame chastised, smiling at me as she walked towards me with her arm full of my clothes. "Time to get up and have breakfast!"

I narrowed my eyes till I was squinting, and stared at her through the crack between my lids. "Uuugh, no, Ame. Don't come near me."

An expression of hurt flashed across her face briefly, and I felt slightly guilty. But it comforted me in an odd way, knocking that I had the power to be able to affect Ame like that. I knew that she truly did love me. We'd begun dating a few weeks after she'd arrived at my doorstep, and I had actually started enjoying my days more at this mansion (used-to-be-hell-hole); I'd been looking forward to each day with her.

I faked a cough and groaned. "I think I might be sick, Ame. You should probably leave; I don't want you catching it."

A look of understanding, then worry crossed her face. "Oh no, Kiseki! We've got to get it checked out. This isn't good…" She rushed up towards me, her arm still full of clothing, and attempted to feel my forehead for a fever.

Fighting a smile, I waited till the last possible second and – before she could even touch me – I sprung up and grabbed her. Ame let out a little shriek of surprise, and my clothes few everywhere onto the floor as she was forced to let go. I caught her in my arms and let both of us fall back onto my bed. I held this girl tightly against my chest so she wouldn't be able to escape; I held my arms encircled around her torso. She lay on top of me on the bed, peering up at me from beneath her long lashes while she tried to stifle her giggles.

"Kiseki!" she cried in mock-outrage, trying to sound stern and angry but failing miserably. "How could you lie to me like that? You aren't sick at all, are you?"

I grinned mischievously, kissing the top of her head. "I feel so much better now, actually. I think I might even go down for breakfast~"

Ame scowled at me adorably. "You made me drop all your clothes on the floor!"

"I could help you with _your_ clothes, too," I grinned, wiggling my eyebrows at her suggestively. "They could go together with mine down there on the floor."

Ame shook her head and laughed, then pushed herself off of my chest. Her back faced the doorway, so she couldn't have noticed, but I saw the hateful, evil stares that Phoebe was giving Ame. I quickly got up and shielded Ame's unprotected back from the maid's murderous glares.

"Alright, I'll behave now, I promise." I said, both to appease the maid and my girlfriend. "I'll be right downstairs in a few minutes."

Ame nodded, and then looked up at me. Suddenly, before I could react, she brought my head down towards her and pecked me on the lips. Her cheeks were flushed pink as she rushed out of my room and down the stairs. I smiled as she left, and touched my lips where her kiss had lingered. I suddenly felt so grateful that it was Sunday… I'd have Ame all to myself for the entire day. She wouldn't be rushing off anywhere anytime soon…

The maid gave me one more wistful glance before departing. Sighing, I gathered my clothes off of the floor and changed, eager to head downstairs and dine with my friends and family.

"Took you long enough, Kiseki," Moka said as I sat down in my usual spot at the breakfast table. I brought a glass of tomato juice with me, and grabbed a few pieces of bacon to put on my plate from the middle of the table.

"Moka, what a surprise," I replied, sipping my juice. "It's so rare to see you here. Aren't you supposed to be managing your company or something? Where's Tsukune…? He should be doing that with you as well…"

Moka sighed, plopping down in her seat next to Ame's. Both girls sat across from me. "Tsukune's got business in the human world. It seems that a couple of monsters had been sighted near the shores of the beach… he's sent a crew there along with him to sort things out."

Tsukune and Moka were founders of an organization that implemented peace between humans and monsters. There were too many strange occurrences in the human world, and many of them were created by monsters. With nobody there to fix thigns, the monsters go on a rampage and the humans are terrified and baffled. Moka and Tsukune's organization helped keep the delicate balance between the monster world and the human world. We were maintaining the "golden scale", like the harbinger Apollo had once told us. Except now it didn't directly involve Ame and put her in danger, much to my relief.

"I seldom get to have a day off," Moka continued, biting into her toast, "so I'm gonna try to enjoy today as much as possible. You know, rest and relax for the entire day… I'd probably have to join Tsukune sometime tomorrow, though…"

I felt bad for Moka she was very busy, that was for sure, and today she thought that she was going to rest and relax. Too bad she didn't know what I had in plan for her…

"Well, I'm done with my breakfast," I announced suddenly, pushing my palte away and standing up. I looked across from me and saw that Ame was still busy chewing away at her egg omelette. Moka was finished, though, like I was. Perfect.

"You finish your breakfast, Ame," I told her, trying not to smile or sound suspicious. "Take your time. Moka nad I have something to discuss…"

"We do?" Moka asked at the same time that Ame said: "You do?"

I sighed and pulled Moka out of the dining room. I made sure we got far enough so our conversation wouldn't be within Ame's earshot.

"What is it, Kiseki?" Moka asked, looking curious. "It must be something pretty serious for you to hide it from Ame…"

"Hmm. Anyway, since you're so tired and worn out from work, I'm just assuming that you'll need plenty of rest indoors… right? So you should probably stay inside the house for the entire day." I smiled at her, trying to make my statement more of an offer and less of a command.

Moka raised her eyebrows. "What, you're not letting me leave our own house?"

"Don't worry, sis. You'll only have to stay inside till the late afternoon…. I have a job for you to do."

"A job!" Moka exclaimed. "As if I'm not busy enough…?"

I hardly ever begged for anything. But here I was, pleading with my own family member. "I just need you to babysit Ame for the day… please? Just make sure she stays inside – without following me – till dinnertime. You're free to go after then."

"Ame's not a kid anymore, Kiseki. Why do you need me to babysit her?"

"I'll be gone for most of the day," I whispered, clenching my hands nervously. Moka still didn't seem satisfied with my answer, so I sighed and decided to tell her the truth. I leaned down slightly towards her and whispered the real reason in her ear.

"Oh my gosh!" Moka gasped when I finished. "You're gonna – I can't believe this! Oh, just wait till everyone else hears about this… they're all gonna flip. Ame's going to be so shocked!"

I grinned at her sheepishly. "I know. It might not be the best time for it right now, but…"

Moka shook her head and slapped me on the shoulder. "No, no! Go for it. I'm assuming that you want me to keep it a secret for now?"

I smiled and nodded. I was looking forward to this… to Ame's reaction, really.

* * *

><p>True to my word, I was out for most of the day. I came back briefly for lunch (mostly just to check up on Ame and to make sure that Moka was doing her job), and everything seemed to be okay. Moka was doing a fine job of distracting Ame… and Ame (being the dense, trusting person that she was) welcomed all the distractions and told me that she was overjoyed at spending so much time with Moka.<p>

"Isn't it so nice of her to hang out with me on her rest day?" she'd told me, grinning at me from above our lunches. "She watched movies, talked, made snacks, and walked the dogs twice already!"

Ah, the dogs. That was another thing that Ame had brought into the household. She had a real passion for animals, as well as children. A few months after she's settled down, and we'd already adopted numerous pets. The maids and servants were always grumbling and complaining at how much fur and feathers there were everywhere. The scales and the slimy couldn't get out of their tanks, thank God, so the maids and servants didn't have to worry about them too much. Feeding all the animals was horrendous, though. I swear they ate more than we did.

I shook my head to clear it. I wasn't back home now; I was in town, in front of the area's largest, most expensive jewelry store. It sold mostly rings, and I was anxious to pick one out.

"Hello, sir," the monster behind the desk greeted me, smiling. "What can I do for you today?"

"I'm looking for an engagement ring," I declared. Just saying that had me so satisfied… Engagement ring. _Engagement_ ring.

"Well, sir, we have a large variety over here," she said, gesturing to the right side of the shop. There were numerous displays, and tons and tons of different rings. I didn't even bother looking at them.

"I want something unique," I stated, "something that no one else would ever wear. It has to be a delicate balance between two elements… almost like it had been split in half, then reunited again."

To normal creatures, my statement must have sounded insane and utterly baffling. But the woman seemed to have understood. We were in the monster world, anyway; lots of strange requests were made here. I'd once heard of a guy who asked for a ring that had ogre fur on it… how disgusting.

"I've got the perfect one for you!" the woman cried, leaping up. She took a box out from underneath the display tables, and held it open for me to see. "The blue gemstone is sapphire; it is believed that it contains healing and soothing properties. The red gemstone is rare type of ruby. Pretty, isn't it? It's very tough and sturdy, not to mention glittery. The two white gems to either side of the two are diamonds, of the strongest, hardest quality! Look at its size, as well… it's hard to come by these days."

"It's perfect," I breathed.

In the monster world, we didn't judge a ring by karats or its worth; we usually evaluated it by its size, toughness and rarity. The bigger the ring, the harder the material and the rarer it was, the better the quality, as we saw it. It was much simpler than the human stuff that Ame tried to explain to me.

The blue and red gemstone was attached side-by-side, almost as if it was combined into one gemstone. The middle was shaded a purple color (probably due to the two gemstones overlapping each other in layers), and the diamonds looked indestructible. It was the perfect thing for Ame.

"I'll take it," I decided, grinning at the sales assistant. She looked very happy (probably because she just managed to sell a super-expensive item to a customer within the first few minutes), and spent the _next_ few minutes wrapping it up for me and asking me questions.

"Is it for your girlfriend?" she inquired, smirking at me.

"She's not _just_ a girlfriend," I told her, feeling slightly irritated. Everyone made it sound so easy, so simple: a _girlfriend_. Ame and I (along with all our other friends) had been through so much more together… it was an understatement to say that we merely "liked" each other.

"Really?" she asked.

"Really," I confirmed in a sure tone. "She's_ the one_."

"Well, I'm happy for you, sir." She handed me the wrapped box. "Have a nice day!"

"Good day to you, as well," I replied before exiting the shop.

I grinned broadly as I headed home. Ame was going to freak out when she saw this! Taking a deep breath, I realized that I was going to freak out too. This was so uncomfortable for me; I seldom felt this way. Shaking my head in bemusement, I smiled again. Ame… she truly was the one for me.

* * *

><p>"Kiseki! You're back!" Ame exclaimed joyfully as I opened the door. She flung herself at me and attempted to tackle me in a giant hug. I said "attempted", because I didn't feel any hurting pressure whatsoever… Ame was a lot more fragile and human-like without her powerful charms.<p>

"What took you so long?" she asked, pouting up at me. I stifled a gasp. Ame was prettier than usual today; she had on accessories and makeup, and was dressed in a beautiful flowing pink dress.

"She was getting bored of me," Moka added, grinning at me from behind Ame. I gave her a look, and Moka returned with one that said that she hadn't given anything away. I breathed a sigh of relief, and took one of Ame's hands in my own. The ring was tucked safely inside of my jacket; I'd made sure of that.

"It's getting dark," I said, dragging Ame towards the back door. "We should eat dinner now."

"Wait, we're going out for dinner?" Ame asked, halting in her steps. She narrowed her eyes and turned to glare at Moka. "Was that why Moka insisted on playing dress-up with me? I was wondering why she was acting so strange… you guys were planning something behind my back, weren't you?"

I gulped nervously, and my breathing quickened. No, this was not how it was supposed to go. I didn't count on Moka preparing Ame for anything, and I was grateful that she had, but Ame was starting to become suspicious… that was definitely not good.

"Relax, Ame," Moka chirped quickly, glancing at me. "Kiseki called me beforehand – say, a couple of hours ago? – to tell me that you guys were going out to eat. I guess I forgot to tell you about that…" Moka shrugged her shoulders in apology.

"Thanks for the cover-up," I mouthed at her while Ame's back was turned. Moka winked at me, and gave me a thumbs-up.

"It's okay," Ame said, her suspicion gone. I laughed inwardly; this girl trusted me too much. "Let's go out to dinner!"

"Hold on," I murmured, pulling something out from my pockets. I spun Ame around, then tied a blindfold around her eyes.

"Hey, what's this?!" she complained, reaching up to her face.

"The, err, restaurant is a surprise." I said, smiling. Ame huffed, but allowed me to lead her out of the mansion and towards the designated area. She trusted me enough that she didn't even hold a hand out in front of her to feel her surroundings; both of her hands clutched mine tightly as I led her down cobble stairs and over dewy green grass.

"It doesn't feel right," she said, sounding slightly panicky. "Are you sure we're in the right place?"

"Positive," I answered, stopping her. "In fact, we're here."

In one smooth motion, I swept the blindfold off of Ame's eyes. I held my breath as she blinked and surveyed our surroundings. I'd spent an impressive amount of time looking for a place like this near our mansion… it was difficult to find somewhere near our house where Ame hadn't been already. This place, however, was secret. It was hidden from most monsters in this area; very few knew about it. The little hideout was even close to a small river! Both Ame and I could hear the water gurgling not too far from here.

The place was an abandoned garden/meadow of some sort. There was a canopy of curly green-leafed monster vines overhead, a sparkly fountain filled with flowing water in the very center, and countless flowers that bloomed all around (they smelled quite divine). There were even tall green hedges, small trees, and bushes that surrounded this area, so that it seemed enclosed and safe from intruders. I had hired a dozen or so monster workmen and gardeners to trim the greens and buff up up the garden before dinner; it had taken them merely a couple of hours to get it done and have it ready. Now, everything looked immaculate and perfect.

After the gardeners left, I had gotten more workmen to come and place a round table and comfortable chairs in the garden, and redecorate everything. They had draped a tablecloth over the table, set up bright little fairy-lights that intertwined in the canopy, and basically polished up the whole place. After that, I'd hired a few chefs and cooks to prepare a delicious, gourmet meal for us, right here on the table in the garden. I just hoped that Ame liked everything.

"Oh – wow, Kiseki…" Ame gasped. I saw her eyes turning watery as she covered her mouth with her hands. "This… is this for us?"

"For _you_," I gently corrected, squeezing her shoulders. "I wanted tonight to be something special. I thought you might like this."

"_Like_ it?" Ame cried, laughing. "No, Kiseki, I _love_ it. Thank you – thank you so much. I just can't believe this… nobody's ever been this thoughtful towards me."

I resisted the urge to shake my head in disbelief. Her last sentence should have been my line… she was the most important person in my life right now.

I gently steered her towards the center of our garden, near the table full of food and the fountain. Ame didn't sit down to eat right away, though… instead, she turned around and hugged me tightly, burying her face in the crook of my neck. I wordlessly hugged her back. We just embraced for a couple of minutes, simply drinking in each other's company and all the noises and smells around us. The gurgling of the water, the chirping of some night creatures, and the tinkling of fairy bells seemed to come together like music; it formulated a brilliant, soothing, romantic song for us.

I inhaled a deep breath. It was now or never.

I gently untangled myself from Ame. Her bemused eyes rose to meet mine as I pushed her slightly away from me. I'd always hated how awkwardly long it took an average man to get a ring out and get down on his knee; his woman would've already known what he was about to do once he'd reached into his coat pocket, if she hadn't already guessed beforehand… So, in one swift motion, I did both. Before Ame could blink, I was down on my left knee with the opened box and the ring in my hand.

A surge of excitement and love filled my chest as I stared into her eyes. It was a beautiful shade of violet, the color one would get when one mixed sky blue and blood red together. Ame wore her hair up today, and strands of her light, wavy curls fell down in tendrils that framed her face (along with her swooping side bangs). Her hair was a nice, natural-looking shade of light gold. The color was so bright that it almost looked blonde, and it practically glistened in the fading light of the sun. Ame herself was glowing too, looking stunned and beautiful.

"Ame Kanmuri," I whispered, my voice sounding sure, confident, but gentle. "I might've been slow to realize it, but you've had me under your spell from the first day we met. I'd never in my whole life dream of finding anyone who understood me so well and accepted me for who I am, but I've found her – I've found _you_. You've changed my whole life, Ame… you changed _me_. I love you, with everything I've had, have, and will have. You mean so much to me, Ame… I promise to cherish you and everything about you for all of eternity." Then, I said the momentous four words: "Will you marry me?"

Ame was practically in tears by this point; her eyes were glistening and she could barely talk.

"Yes..." she whispered, smiling for me through her tears. "Yes, I will marry you."

I stood, and extracted the ring from the box. I placed Ame's left hand over mine as I gently but firmly slipped the ring onto her finger. I couldn't help but grin from ear-to-ear… I felt like I was on the top of the world, the luckiest guy on Earth. It was amazing how happy this one person made me; every cell, every fiber in my body jumped for joy. Ame had agreed to be mine… this tender, delightful, brilliant girl was mine!

Ame threw her arms around my neck, and I stooped down to kiss her. I brushed my lips past her wet cheeks, kissing the tears away as I made my way to her lips. The friendly fairies and pixies danced around us and plucked their harps, the little river gurgled and sang, and the enticing flowers bloomed all around us; it was a moment never to be forgotten.

"I love you," I whispered to Ame, resting my forehead against hers.

"I love you, too," she replied, her eyes filled with love.

She was the one… she was the other half that made me whole.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong>

Hellooo~ :D

I hope this sweet/cheesy chapter met your expectations. It might not be accurate or probable, but I went with my gut here. Hopefully you enjoyed it. :)

I did feel it was kind of abrupt to jump to the Epilogue "20 Years Later" before... so here's to make up for it :) I DID think of plenty of stuff that might/might not happen in the Shuzen residence after Ame's arrival, but I felt like the story was dragging (they'd already graduated, the world was already saved, etc. etc.) so I hurried it up a bit. Hopefully you'll all understand x)

BTW, this chapter is a liiittle bit special, for one important reason: Ame's physical descriptions are finally revealed here! Yeah, I know I should've described Ame's looks sooner, but the chance just never came up (and I didn't want to shove it in the story). You guys might've assumed that Ame had black eyes/hair 'cause her name is Japanese, but the rest of the Rosario Vampire characters also have Japanese names but they do not appear Asian at all (at least in anime form). I _do_ understand why and am not confused about it, but I just decided to go with that; Ame stays as an anime character with her hair a bright yellow and curly, and her eyes a shade of purple. Get it, 'cause blue & red makes purple, and those are her angelic/demonic colors? ;D *sigh* I might be getting into the details here, but just for the record, Ame's a little shorter than Moka but taller than Kurumu/Mizore. She's somewhere in the middle. :)

As you all know, this is the last chapter! I left this for last because I thought it completed the entire story :3 Yup, it's officially come to an end! Thank you all so much for sticking with me up to here~ Leave all your thoughts/comments for me to read; I truly love all your support. If I ever write anything new, I promise to let you guys know (by updates and such)!

Once again, thank you so much for reading. It's you guys that keep me going :) I wish you all the best~!

- ACookieZ


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